Stormy Weather

I had to go to the store Saturday for hot dog buns. We did a last minute invite for hot dogs and pool on the Fourth of July. On my way to town, I saw the clouds rolling in from the south. I ran into Brookshires, grabbed the buns, paid for them, and ran back to the car. Hurry...hurry...hurry to get home before it hit. This was the view out our back door. We literally saw the clouds roll in. Guess what. We got just a few sprinkles. Go figure. However, it rained on the Fourth...we still had hot dogs but no pool time.

Monday morning, Sam had to do a pool rescue. I hollered, "WAIT! Let me get the camera." This was a first for us.

Oh...you expect an exercise/diet report? 20 minutes on the treadmill set on 3.5 (I assume mph), 20 minutes on the recumbent bike set on E A S Y. I'm building sets/repetitions on the weight machines. Yesterday I added the elliptical. LOL I don't remember if I made it one or two minutes so anything today is an improvement. Weight loss? I'm throwing my scales out the bathroom window! Oh...can't do that...my windows don't raise. I keep expecting to get on the scales and see 5-10 pound drop...magically...overnight. And I am dieting...not severely but I haven't had dark chocolate much less any milk chocolate in about 6 months now. Yeah...I do tend to exaggerate.

Long May She Wave!

Many want to come here...few want to leave.

Hey!

I passed post #400! This is #403. WOWSER!

Penny, The older man came in yesterday, but I had only been on the treadmill for four minutes and didn't want to stop. He was gone before my 15 minutes were up. I'll be more diligent next time!

Two pounds! TWO!!! One - TWO! That's ALL that I've lost after four days in h*e* double l. I get home and the sports top under my XL t-shirt that looks like a sack on me covering my men's sweatshorts and green sports top and my spare tire...anyway...the sports top is soaked...as in WET with SWEAT! I do not like sweating! I even went to the gym this morning...on my day off from work! I was there at 7:20. Tomorrow the gym opens at 8 ... yeah...I'll be going again. But Sunday they are closed! YIPPEE!!!! and HALLELUJAH!!!

The worst part of all this is that I do not like not eating what I want! Breakfast yesterday for example...1/2 slice of toast no butter or jam (it was with homemade bread so probably thicker and denser than the store bought 'wasp nest' as Jonathan's dad called it) and ONE cup of chocolate 2% milk. Lunch was 80 calories worth of tuna...JUST tuna - not tuna salad...4 Triscuits, a handful of baby carrots marinated in lowfat or nofat Italian dressing I forget what I bought, and half a Roma tomato with a bit of dressing poured over it. Supper...FOUR tortilla chips (break 'em in half and you have EIGHT-pffffttt) with salsa and ONE avocado enchilada a la cart...no beans...no rice.

That's the way I've been eating ALL week. Except for... ;o) Today... I still had the half slice of toast...dry no butter or jam...and the cup of chocolate milk...Gotta get the chocolate fix someway somehow. (Went to the gym...blech.)

For lunch....the Bible verse at the bottom of the receipt was Matthew 28:18 "And Jesus came and spoke to them saying, 'All authority has been given to me in Heaven and on Earth.' " That was one good fried chicken thigh, partial order of fried okra, one bite of coleslaw...it was too sweet for me. I coveted the ear of corn the lady at the next booth was eating. But, overall - I LOVE Chicken Express. sigh

Tonight? I opened a can of green beans, poured them in a saucepan, sprinkled with onion bits, and yes I admit it 1/2 teaspoon of bacon grease. Boiled all the liquid away and savored every bite.

It's Raining, It's Pouring

We've had 2 or 3 days with occasional rain showers. And it's raining again. Nothing dramatic, but the temperature has definitely been lower. How wonderful when it's in the late afternoon and evening. This morning it was only 72 degrees compared to the 77-79 that it has been running in the mornings about 7 o'clock.

Monday morning Sam suited up... ...and rode to participate in Harley Davidson's 5 Million Mile Monday. He visited with John and Erin. They met up after their trip to the doctor to find out whether the baby was going to be a boy or a girl. It's a boy! And they already have a tentative name picked out. It's such a good one with good reasons...if they change their mind I will be very surprised. No...sigh...they will not be naming him after me. ;o)

Me? Not nearly as sore as I thought I was going to be. But every time I moved anything today...even an empty file folder...my left shoulder (the muscles in and around it) ached. I didn't think I would be able to do the routine, but I did. Without any additional pain. I'm plumb proud of myself.

Penny, he hasn't been back...but I've been carrying my camera in with me.

I AM Sore!!!

'Nuff said.

I Survived...

...the first exercise hour. I could have stayed another thirty minutes but a friend who came with me had all she could handle in the one hour we were there.

Poor dear...she got on the wrong treadmill. She set it at a speed she knew she could handle...yet for some reason evidently the previous programming was still in it...it got faster and inclined...she was NOT expecting that. We weren't side by side and I had the earbuds to my MP3 player stuck in my ears, but I heard the kaloomphf. Quickly jumped on the side rails and turned my treadmill off before turning around...but I KNEW it was Pat. I was right. She was not injured. Got up...dusted herself off and stomped off to the recumbent bikes. You guessed it...she got a dud. I was watching her from my treadmill...yes...I am going to put my name on it to reserve it. I noticed that her pedaling was jerky. Well...smarty me...after my 15 minutes on the treadmill (I plan to work up to harder and longer...right...I am being sensible...LOL) I tried the bike she started on. Something was wrong with it. She had found a simpler bike...I found the mate to it. We pedaled almost side by side until she quit and went to the treadmill I abandoned.

While I was on the bike, an elderly man leaning on a cane came in. He walked over to one of the weight machines. I wondered how they worked so watched him (while I was grooving to Born to Be Wild). He set the weights where he wanted them. Did a few reps...moved to the next machine. I followed him with my eyes...I hope he didn't think I was hot for his body. I was just HOT! Even with the air conditioner...and fans blowing on me. I was soaked through. Anyway. He wasn't there long...just made his rounds on the weight machines.

Pat quit the treadmill and went to the weight machines. She did the boobie expander...my description. She told me it was for pecs. In other words... boobies... wish I'd had one of those machines when I was a teenager trying to grow boobies. Now I don't want 'em any bigger than they are...I mean...who needs boobies down to the belly button?

I digressed.

I eventually made it to the weight machines...tested the different weights. When I got it where I wanted it, I did 10-15 reps with each machine. Short Pat walked past one leg machine. I stopped at it...remember...it was set for the little old man leaning on the walking cane. I COULD NOT BUDGE IT!!!! That man has some leg muscles lemme tell ya!

I started back to the treadmill for one more 15 minute session when Pat stopped me, "We've been here an hour. I'm done." LOL She was probably right. It was time to quit.

So...tomorrow...tomorrow...tomorrow...

Water Aerobics Correction

...I mentioned in my last post that when I first did water aerobics here that I didn't lose any weight. Let me amend that.

We had just moved here. We were working hard and were tired so started eating out on a regular basis. The first year, I started swimming laps. LOL MY version of laps because I'm really not a very good swimmer. The next year, Earlene came over and we worked on water aerobics. I continued the spiral of weight gain.

I have cut out the daily trips to restaurants and now only go with Sam a couple of times a week.

The pool will definitely be nice to jump into when I get home from the gym!

Starting Next Week

I checked in at the gym and will be starting on Monday. $30 a month. Exercise equipment, weight room, tanning beds that I won't be using. And...it is air conditioned. Yeah. After a few months I could've purchased a piece of exercise equipment. Been there done that. Losing baby fat after Jonathan was born, I purchased an exercise bike at a garage sale. I lost quite a bit of weight with it and stayed trim and slim. It eventually wore out, so I purchased another garage sale exercise bike. Never liked it as well as the first one and eventually put it on the curb in Lake Jackson. Besides...I don't have the space for exercise equipment.

Florida Farm Girl left a comment to do water aerobics in my pool...no sweating...stay cool. Welllll....I know some people who do/did water aerobics. Don't think they've ever lost any weight with it. I worked diligently for the first year that we moved here...didn't lose any weight. It will be a good addition to an exercise program, but I need something more than that right now.

Now to go through the closet to find something to exercise in. I don't think those three former DHS students -I met while subbing- that I saw at the gym today want to see me in form fitting exercise clothes. It would damage them for life!

Okay. I've made the decision. I'm not revealing how much I weigh...but I will share as I drop pounds.

Bunches of E-mails!!

You would not believe how many e-mails come in at the new job. Literally scads of them!! YES! "Scads" is a specific number...please do not doubt me...I am OFFICE MANAGER, you know. Woooo...did you hear the echo??

So...what do I do with all of these incoming e-mails? They pertain to webinars (web based seminars - eyeroll), meetings pertaining to area/regional Chamber of Commerces, Better Business Bureau bulletins, Texas Forestry whatever it was, etc. So...I've read these things for five weeks now. Hmmm...that one looks good, forward it. Nah...that one doesn't pertain to our corner of the world...delete. Hmmm...that topic looks interesting...forward. IRS messing with things again...forward...after all, the majority of the people are in business...and who wants to run a-muck of the IRS?!

Finally had a thought...I know...they are few and far between. With the next forwarded webinar information, at the top I asked, "Do y'all" (remember I'm in Texas and not only do we talk like that, we type like that too)..."Do y'all want me to continue to forward this type information?"

I had five or six answers. Count 'em. Yep...five or six or so. Only one person really wasn't interested because he got so much stuff at his office anyway. One "nay"...four or five "ayes." So, the ayes have it. Now off the top of my head, I don't remember how many members are with the Chamber of Commerce, but I can guarantee you that it is more than the five or six replies that I received. Still...majority rules.

Today...after the third forwarded FYI e-mail...I receive an e-mail from the president. NO! Not Obama!!! I could make a few more comments on that subject but I'll let it pass today...

So...the prez e-mails me and advises me that he has received several phone calls wanting to know why I'm forwarding these informational e-mails and please don't. Okaaaay. Ummm...and why did those so quick to jerk out their telephone not simply respond to my e-mail asking, "Do you"...excuse me..."Do y'all want me to continue...etc..." And tell me NO!!

He, the prez, did not know about the volume of that sort of stuff that came through the e-mail and was surprised. I replied back that today had been a slow day and generally the office received more than three...

I still can't figure out why instead of calling him and bugging him, they couldn't just reply to my query??!! eyeroll

Other than that...and the office is small...and the job is rather sedentary...I am really, really liking the job!

Tomorrow afternoon I'm going to the gym/exercise place/whatever it is to see about a membership or exercise classes or treadmill or whatever as long as there's an air conditioner. I've been leaving the house early every morning, going to the office and turning the thermostat down. Then I take a walk through town. Back to the office and change shoes. Fifteen minutes is all that I can handle...it is already...still...some more...too hot to walk long and go back to the office sweating. Fifteen minutes is about a mile. But believe me, not enough exercise for the job that I have. So...to the gym to see about a membership. I wish we had an air conditioned mall to walk in... Sigh...gym. Shudder!

Saturday

I was sitting in my sewing room yesterday and happened to look out the window. This cardinal hen was visiting my feeder. Later...I wish I'd been five minutes earlier.