Plants. Growing. In the ground. Could this really mean that spring is here? I hate to jinx it..

(If you can’t look slanty and squinty eyed at the photo and see the rows of future veggies, click to embiggen)

As I visited my favorite farm stand today to buy the mother’s Day hanging plants, I noticed that my future vegetables have gotten a good start. This is exciting! Spring still feels tenuous around here. The heat keeps kicking on, my feet are still frozen and many days I want to drag a scarf out again to warm myself. But plants growing in the ground is a good sign, right?

Right??

(You have all given me lots to think about with Myron. One thing I know for sure, a decision won’t be made easily or quickly. Thanks for listening and reaching out!)

H

Myron is a cutie pie

Have you met Myron? He is a one of your shelter cats. We got him and his brother at the same time. They came as a pair. They were living together in a small cage. Together. Peacefully. They got taken from the same home where apparently, a LOT of cats were being neglected.

We took them home and things were great. For a couple of days. Almost immediately, cat fights broke out. Over the next couple of months things got worse. And worse. Lots of fights, some serious injuries on Myron’s part, bullying in the (many) litter boxes which caused Myron to start doing his business on the sly in the corners of the house and got worse from there. We tried anti depressants, behavior modification (squirt bottles and pennies in cans), we tried aroma therapy (Feliway diffusers all around the house). We tried patience and a “Boys will be boys” attitude.

After a couple of serious injuries to Myron (a scratched cornea and a bite taken out of his tail) and the fact that he started hiding under chairs for the days at a time, we put him upstairs and closed the door to keep Mitchell out. This was a great solution. He had the run of 2 rooms and it did not take long for his bathroom habits to straighten themselves out. He purred and played and is a happy cat. One of the rooms being Derek’s, he had company many an evening and all was happy.

And then as they are wont to do, Derek moved out. A happy occasion indeed, when your oldest is starting his life in the real world. But this left less company for Myron.  He still seemed happy. It was winter and it was a great thing to retire upstairs early with a book (or my iPad version of the book anyway) or the internets or watch a bit of tv with a bit of a cat company to boot. Life was cozy and warm and the winter raged outdoors.

Spring has arrived. The light is lasting later, the windows are (sometimes) open and I am finding it harder to get upstairs so early. There has been many a family occasion here and those nights are not “early to bed” kind of parties.

But Myron still seems happy, purring and cuddling up a storm (all night long!!!!) and I can hear him playing like crazy up there after he eats his dinner. He does miss out on a fair amount of family life though, the tv watching, the cooking, the company coming over.

Now in the mornings, he bolts out the door into the hallway. I’ve always taken the stand that he is in there for his safety but I am not holding him hostage. If he wants out, he can go. He spends a bit of time roaming the upstairs (always belly down, slinking around listening for Mitch) and always ends up running back to the safety of the room when a certain orange guy comes up the stairs or he gets tired of the slinking around.

She is talking about me, isn't she...

I’ve done all I can to keep the peace. I have tried everything I know how short of hiring a (very expensive) behavior specialist to come in and work with them. I have this question for you, my friends….Should I keep Myron? Or should I give him to my Uncle Paul (who is pretty much the cat whisperer. He is the kind of person that is so awkward with people but cats LOVE him. For instance, my Mom has a cat Squeaky. Or at least she tells me she has a cat. I think I may have spotted him once in the 13 years he has been around. It was either Squeaky or it was a tumbleweed. Not sure which. A shy cat, to say the least. Paul is the only person she will be around (besides my Mom of course). He has a way with cats. ) But the Paul option is not all that easy to consider. 1. He lives an hour and a half away 2. He is not in the best of health. Does this mean that I will just have to take Myron back when his health deteriorates? And then when he comes back won’t it be worse to coop him up? Coincidently, Paul’s apartment wouldn’t be any bigger than the 2 rooms that Myron lives in now. But he would have company all of the time, not just a sleeping cuddler.

However, everytime I think of giving Myron away like that, I cry. Literally cry over it. Is it cruel to transfer an animal like that? Won’t he lose trust if he gets abandoned again? But is it fair to keep him upstairs (and safe) with my love only for a while every day (and part of that time I am sleeping, although still cuddling him)

I’m just not sure what I should do. I’d like your opinion…

(and I can’t bring myself to bring him back to the shelter. Please don’t suggest it)

I’ve never wished a man dead, but I have read some obituaries with great pleasure. – Mark Twain

Here’s a couple of things..,

• Even though I had to miss the ending of my beloved Brothers and Sisters last night, I did not mind once I heard the breaking news. Usually the “Breaking” “news” is neither.
• It is Bethany’s birthday today. She is 23. Which is odd, since I don’t feel older than that!
• A pox against you, 50% off Easter candy (I’m looking at you, Reeses Pieces)
• Why is it that some years it is so easy to buy someone the most awesome gift they ever received and others it is nearly impossible?
• I am going to be honest, I have had the words “You are an inspiration to me” said to me quite a few times since I started back to blogging and I am a bit uncomfortable with that status. I hope I can live up to it. Not sure if I can…
• I may just be leading others into hell. You just never know.
• But? We’ll all be there together, which makes it a bit more tolerable and somewhat enjoyable. I hope there is no humidity with the heat in hell.
• Shrimp. It’s what’s for dinner.
• I have been knitting a bit. I do mean “a bit”. Slower than a snail. I’ll show you at the end..
• Go Bruins! (should I allow myself to get a bit excited? Is there something large and silver in Boston’s future?) (I would so miss work that day to see it. I mean, I’m sure I would not skip work, unless I was sick:cough:cough:as a dog: cough)
• My camera battery has all but died. The camera has approximately 18 seconds of independent power once I turn it on. Which makes taking photos a bit more challenging. But not impossible. I have been dreading looking for a new battery figuring that it will be the old “I may as well buy a new one with the price it will take to fix this one” routine. I hate that with a burning passion. Our landfills cannot take it. I was, though pleasantly surprised to find that the battery, with shipping was UNDER $8.00. Heh. It’s on it’s way here as we speak. SCHWING.

Here it is….the knitting

A scarf made of yarn, being knit by me, Imagine?

It has been super hard this year giving up the scarf. My neck is cold. I’m not sure why, it just is. Or maybe it’s kind of like a blankie, tucked all around my neck, snug and warm. I have finally stopped wearing one. But the thing is that my favorite of all favorite scarfs has a hole in it. A HOLE. Knitter’s knightmare! I hope this will be a contender for my new favorite. It is promising, that is all I have to say about that.

This is Anzula For Better or Worsted yarn in the colorway Maple that I bought from Purl Soho.  Everything about the yarn is destined to become my classic fav…cashmere and maple. Need I say more?

The pattern is Pavement by the wondrous Jared Flood.  If Anzula yarn is trying to become my desert island yarn, then Jared Flood is my desert island designer. If I had only his patterns, I could knit a happy life.

Srsly.

The violets are all over my yard. I love Spring!

The weather has been fabulous lately, even with the extremely chilly sea breeze that we get this time of year. The sun, it is therapeutic. The flowers, they inspire.

I have been doing weight watchers now for 7 weeks. I have lost 14 pounds. This is good. I imagine 3 bags of flour that I used to carry around all day long. Or maybe a certain orange cat who happens to weigh around that much..

It helps me to visualize the loss. My favorite way is to imagine it as sticks of butter. 14 pounds is 56 sticks of butter. On me. Not an attractive image, certainly.

Imagine a chubby kitty wrapped around me all day long...

I am coming up to a challenging time, personally.  I am usually gung ho with plenty of motivation for about 7 weeks. Then the waning sets in.  I start to feel better, look a bit better (even if just in my mind) and the bad choices start slowly. It’s not a good plan. I am determined that this would not be my healthy demise again.

The difference of course, is internal. I am not making any (ANY) foods off limits. I think that when I forbid a certain food, it becomes a bad thing, one that will trip me up. Feeling deprived does not help longevity of healthy choices.

I do not expect myself to make great choices 100%  of the time. Just most of the time will do.

It was all about changing my mind set. Changing my expectations of myself.
That is a good lesson to learn after all this time…

~~~

How are you doing? How is your progress? Eating healthy? Exercising? Living well? Being happy? Do share..

Time to check in…Tell me something about you.

Butter lamb

All of my kids

I really love Easter. Maybe it’s just a good excuse to eat ham and dye some eggs, but I love it. It’s a great holiday with not a lot of work. Good thing I don’t love chocolate though. You chocoholics must have a hard time composing yourself, I imagine.

Happy Easter to you and yours, if you do that kind of thing. If not, well, you don’t need a good reason to eat ham.

All that and a song.  ( I have had this song on my mind today. Appropriately)

The ground under my Asic covered feet!

Blue skies over my head and the wind howling around me

If  you know me, and many of you do, you know that I rise to a challenge. So in the spirit of my personal change, I signed up for the 100 day challenge. The link to John Bingham’s site was given to me by the wonderful Cate (I cannot thank you enough, Cate!) (Or maybe in 90 or so days, I’ll be ready to wring her neck, we’ll see!) (Could go either way).

The premise of the challenge is that you purposefully move for 30 minutes a day for 100 days straight. Seems doable, right? It is not saying to jog or walk or lift weights. The purpose is to move. Intentionally.

I can do that.

I think.

Are you in? The challenge hasn’t formally started yet but I’m in starting today. Day 1. Gotta start somewhere!

The facebook pages for the challenge: Page 1,      Page 2

Drink 8 glasses a day, they say!

“A little water is a sea to an ant” ~ Afghan Proverb

Drinking water is important to the body when healthy. I learned this long ago, but still spent many a year only sipping on diet coke. (The old DO AS I SAY, NOT AS I DO routine). I have no trouble drinking the prescribed 8-10 glasses a day, although for some reason it seems to be easier during the week than the weekend. All about schedules, I think.

These have been my lessons on water:

~when I drink enough water, diet coke doesn’t taste so good anymore. I hate this one the most. (I love me some diet coke!) (Usually)

~somehow, I feel better when I drink my allotment of water. It’s like magic elixer, isn’t it? I look better, I feel better, no wonder everyone is spending a veritable fortune on it!

~I hate to pay for water. If I pay, I want it to be diet coke! (See a theme here?)

I realize that some have difficulty drinking plain water and opt for the citrus flavored route, that’s good too. As a bonus, a lime or lemon squeezed in delivers vitamin C.  I found the GREATEST pitcher for infusing water with fruit flavor. I cannot rave about it enough. I got it here: Pitcher with Fruit Infuser <——– click the words. It is the BEST 20 bucks I ever spent, water related. This batch is raspberry flavored, coloring the water a beautiful pink color. HONESTLY, who DOESN’T want to drink pink water??  WHO???? This is the 3rd day with this batch of raspberries and they are holding up well. As well as they can with me soaking all the goodness out of them and drinking it down. I also did a batch of blueberry water which was delish. Oddly enough, the blueberry flavor tasted stronger when the water was at room temp. As a bonus, the pitcher is one of the more beautiful ones I’ve owned. I love the look of it.

I, btw have no affiliation to the pitcher or to the fruit involved. And? No fruit was harmed. only used up and disposed of properly. Which is the dream of all fruit everywhere.

~~~
Today is a holiday in Massachusetts (Patriot’s Day) and I am lucky enough to get it off from work. Better timing, a day off has never had. I am heading right now to Bob’s Stores to buy some walking shoes and in the spirit of the Boston Marathon, I will take my first walk about the town. It won’t be fast, it won’t be pretty, but I will be moving, baby steps, towards my goal. Anyone willing to sing the Laverne and Shirley song and hold my virtual hand along the way is invited to do so.

Then the rest of the day will be spent watching movies, knitting up a storm and maybe some reading/snoozing. That should, of course, read vacuuming, laundry and cleaning up around here. PFFFFT. It’s a holiday!

~~~~~

I cannot thank you enough for your rousing welcome back to the blogging fold. Thank you for being you. Your support (and unending comments) is appreciated. I am rich with friends.

~~~

Drink your water.

Most of you probably know me already but I will introduce myself anyway. My name is Sandy. I live in Coastal Massachusetts, north of Boston. I soon will celebrate my 50th birthday and this is the driving force in this new blog.

I have recently had occasion to realize that growing old can be a horrible thing. If you let it. I have learned that moving and being in shape is the key. I plan to move until I am getting the dirt thrown on me. That is my new motto in life. My grand plan is that this moving around will help me out exponentially. I hope it’s true, but I am willing to give it a try.

I am..(I have always loved that sentence. So full of promise and thrills)

I am a woman, a mother, a wife, a daughter, a sister, a friend. I am a Knitter (capital K), an occasional crafter, a person who loves to play with color and materials. I am a chef in wolf’s clothing, a cat lover, a patient and kind person. I am sensitive (Sometimes that can be a bad thing), funny, wonderful and my hair is a color that only my  hair person knows. I am fighting wrinkles, I have dry skin, I love doritos and I am a wine lover. I am grateful, a deep thinker, an overthinker, a closet chicken of bad thunderstorms. I notice things; the beauty of nature, the kindness of strangers and rudeness. I am not a worrier, I am really good at letting it roll off me. That’s a good thing. I am not a neat person but I love things to be clean. A bed that is made, a table that is clean and no dishes in the sink are all I need to be a happy person.

I never wear shoes in the house, I love flannel pants, I love to smell good, I read. A lot. I don’t know what I want to be when I grow up. I love to stargaze. I hate the hot and humid weather and I love it when it snows. I love to drink coffee (That is a new one in my life) especially Starbucks. If I were a rich person, I would drink about 3 starbucks lattes a day.

I am not a rich person, I am terrible with money. I spend too much. Just ask my husband. I would make a great rich person. Srsly.

I have been married 26 years and a mother for almost 25. I am, if I do say so myself, a kick ass wife and mother (with the exception of the above item)

I love to show people I love them by cooking them something wonderful to eat. I love it when people eat the food I create. It fills me with joy.

Oh, and I am fat. And unathletic.

While I cannot make myself be an athlete (it’s a coordination thing) I pose this question to you….Can a fat girl become a runner? I have wondered at the question for a while now. I long to find out. Right now? I doubt it. But who knows what the future brings, right?

For now, I am on Weight Watchers. And for me, it’s not just a matter of losing the weight (although it certainly IS that) but it is more about eating healthy. My goal everyday is to eat healthy food, drink plenty of water and to move a bit more than I did the day before. While I have not started an exercise program yet, I soon will. It all starts with baby steps, right?

So, I start this new blog in the search of a new me. Losing one part of me, finding another. Perhaps it’s a mid life crisis. Or 50-itis. But I look forward to this journey.

My plans for this blog is to have it go along for the ride. It won’t be a study of exactly what I eat or every step I take, but I do plan to talk a bit about diet and fitness and my progress. I will talk of food and good recipes. I will even knit along the way. There will be (I’m sure) family talk and some of the workings of my mind. My thoughts and inner stuff, silly pictures and pretty shiny things.

(SQUIRREL!!)

And honestly, I cannot promise that I will never again in my life polish off a bag of doritos, I will make believe it is in my plan along the way to the eternal question….Can I be a runner?

Can I?

Beats me.