And the Struggle Continues

With the computer...and with my weight. On Saturday our TOPS group had a fundraiser. Unfortunately, I couldn't stay to the end because of my arthritis. It was a very rainy day and I was in agony. I am so looking forward to an injection in my knee next week, and eventually a hip replacement. I never thought I would be looking forward to drugs and knives. I did some emotional eating when I got home on Saturday...I sincerely hope that I haven't packed on some pounds this week. Weigh in on Wednesday will tell the tale.

My computer's internet browser is so intense that it won't let features of websites through. It is to the point that I have received a recommedation that I go with another internet browser. Also facebook and google are causing problems asking me to enable cookies when they are enabled for their sites. Another challenge.

Hopefully things will be better this week.

Techology - You have to love it!

I have spent every available hour during the last two days trying to get a new laptop computer set up and functioning. I had forgotten just how much work and aggrevation a new computer can cause...but it looks as if I am past the half way point.

I do have a beef about software companies that design hugh programs that take forever to load and then they have dozens of upgrades waiting for you to hook up to the internet for the first time. I'm not sure if I agree with that approach. Several of the downloads are hugh and I am one of four people in North America still struggling along on dialup. 'Nough said about that.

After the Storm

Peace and quiet has returned to the South Shore of Nova Scotia. Hurricane Bill blustered his way through on Sunday morning and fortunately didn't live up to his advance press. Yes the waves were high and yes there were some road washouts but the damage from high winds is minimal. The winds weren't as high as perdicted.

This picture was taken on Sunday afternoon just as the sky was clearing and the sun was reappearing. The waves are still high and angry.

Hot, Hot, Hot

Wow has summer ever hit with a vengence. Nasty rumors that Hurricane Bill will visit us on Sunday, bringing destruction and mayhem. Hopefully he puffs and puffs and blows himself out to sea.

I had a great weigh in on Wednesday, I lost 3.25 pounds. I am so back on schedule and actually enjoying the discipline. No eating after 7:30 p.m. and drinking water and my own personal brand of iced coffee. Cold coffee, with ice cubes (of course) creamer and splenda. Tastes great. I hadn't tried iced coffee until this summer when the local Tim Horton's Donut shops were offering it. Of course theirs have sugar and are loaded with calories but my version is great and I am enjoying it.

I have conquered some of the clutter in my office/work area and I am feeling more in control. My day job will be expanding to take up three and a half or four days a week from the summer hours of three days. Not looking forward to the extra hours but need them to manage the workload. Fall brings routines and structure which is good for me.

Hoping to get a few strings of bowling in tomorrow afternoon and maybe a swim in the lake. Depends on energy levels, aches and of course time.

Another Week

Beautiful weather the last few days. Today is going to be humid and hot, probably the last day of uncomfortable heat this summer.

Cut and Burn. TOPS has introduced a program of cutting 100 calories from your diet a day and burning 100 calories a day. Over six months that will result in a 10 lb loss, 20 lbs a year...not bad.

We went bowling again on Wednesday and yesterday I walked for 15 minutes, painful but I did it. Of course it was in stores and malls etc. But walking is walking.

More clutter removal scheduled for today. An hour here and there is really making a difference.

Make a plan

I have been writing newsletters and updating data bases...translation sitting in front of a computer and burning a minimum number of calories. So much of my life is spent thinking and planning and keyboarding and I wonder why I don't lose weight as easily as the skinny people who are outside enjoying the sun and gardening, walking, swimming and playing tennis. To be perfectly honest, gardening and playing tennis are things that I daydream about being good at but in actual fact neither interest me much. I like the results of gardening, beautiful flowers and tasty veggies but the actually digging and weeding and sweating and swoting bugs just doesn't do it for me.

I am still in the summer slump of not moving and not getting enough exercise. Have to build more movement into my daily routine. Starting today. There is a car show in Bridgewater today and tomorrow so we could attend and walking around to see the cars would be fun.

I am also still working on the declutter aspect of my life. I spent an hour at work going through and discarding excess paper. Still more to do there and there are definitely piles of paper and crap here at home that need my attention. By the end of today I will have spent at least one hour exercising and another hour decluttering.

Bowling and Other Stuff

Well the rainy Monday turned sunny in the afternoon. We had made plans to do a couple of errands. We stopped at Wiles Market to pick up the KOPS Honour Society pins that Debra had left there for me. They are really nice and I am sure the South Shore KOPS members will love them. Then we tried to find me a rain jacket...seems that is not a popular/fashionable item this year as there wasn't much to chose from. And of course I did want to get one on sale...cheap as I plan to be much smaller next summer.

Then on the to bowling alley AND I actually won one string. Quite an achievement. All three strings were over 80 for an average of 83. This is candlepin bowling (skinny pins with small balls). Frank was also pleased as he got his average. Fun and worked off a few calories. It felt good to get that little bit of exercise. And of course the alley was air conditioned which helped. How many times have I mentioned that I do not like hot and humid?

Tuesday morning and back at work. More sun today and more predicted for the rest of the week. Maybe we will have a summer this year after all.

Couldn't find a jacket yesterday but I did find a skirt for $7.00 which I bought. I don't wear a lot of skirts but this one is comfortable and a change. Sometimes change is a good thing:-)

Rainy Monday

I have had three glorious days with very little pain...sunny weather. But all good things end and today we have the rain again, and the humidity so my legs are sore and I am cranky. Today is a day off work so I am enjoying an at home day and getting caught up on some work.

I have received a "warning" email from Google about my clicking on ads. I was not trying to defraud anyone but some of the ads were trashy and I am not sure if they suit the content. In fact I am not sure I want anything to do with them. I received an response to my email to the techies at google land telling me they are too busy to respond to my questions. Oh well, such is life. To be that busy must be very demanding.

The weight battle is not going as well as I want either. This humid weather makes me retain water...in fact I seem to retain everything in the summertime. It is always a struggle for me to lose weight during the summer months, but that is not an option. I need to get back on track and start getting rid of more pounds. Surely that will help my knees and I know it will make me feel better, more energy which speeds up my metabolism etc.

We took advantage of the sun yesterday to attend a show and shine in Barrington. Several old cars that we hadn't seen before. Interesting. It was a bit difficult to get around some of the cars because people were standing and talking to the owners and the way the cars were parked there wasn't much space between them. First time we had seen that set up.

I need some exercise so we may go bowling this afternoon. Good activity for a rainy Monday afternoon.

A Day at the Beach

Yesterday was hot and sunny and a beautiful day for a trip to the beach. We are fortunate because we live within a 45 minute drive to several beautiful beaches on the Atlantic Ocean. At this time of year the air temperature is usually several degrees warmer than the water temperature. The beach we chose was Summerville Beach, which is a provincial park with changing rooms. The beach was crowded...if you call 100 or so people a crowd. The beach is at least 1/2 mile long so 100 people are dots on the sand. Nothing like beaches in some of the other provinces.

It has been a while since I waded in salt water and felt the breath being sucked from my body as the cold water splashed over me. Wow! It was fun. I had forgotten just how much fun.

Our constant companion, our dog, wasn't sure if cold salt water was something he enjoyed but he did manage to get wet and covered in sand and seemed to be having fun.

As an added bonus, on the way home, we stopped at a beach on an inland lake and washed off the salt and sand. I went swimming there as well. This beach is within 10 minutes of where we live and I am quite certain that I will be returning there many times before the summer is over.

Although we live in lake country, the beach closest to us is full of eel grass and I am always hesitant to swim anywhere that has eel grass...you know what lives in places like that. This little beach we found is clear with a sandy bottom. You can see the bottom of the lake as you wade out from shore. The water was refreshing without being frigid. Heaven. And the best part is that I got exercise while keeping cool on a 33 degree day.

Temptations

This morning when I arrived at my day job there was a huddle in the kitchen area. One of the other people who have an office in this building, (a thin person I should add) had brought in several home made yummy desserts as a treat for the rest of us. It took will power on my part, but I got my cup of black coffee and my bottle of water and came back to my office. Temptation resisted for now.

Yard Sales

Our TOPS group had their annual yard sale yesterday...in the rain. We had hoped to be able to have it outdoors this year but the weather didn't co-operate. Of course at noon when we were closing down the sun started to peek through and the afternoon wasnt' too bad. We did fairly well at the sale, the bake table is always popular and some of the ladies in our group are very good cooks. Since they are all trying to lose or maintain a weight loss they don't do as much baking as they used to:-)

Today the sun is shining. I am hoping for a few days of sun, maybe my aches and pains will settle down. I know I have been overdoing things so that is part of the reason for all the aches...but it is summer and on the few sunny days we have it is hard to stay inactive.

Weekend Escape

We took a three day weekend and went to Portland Maine on the "CAT". Parked the car in Yarmouth, NS and walked onto the ferry. A shuttle met us in Portland to take us to our hotel. Saturday morning was foggy but good for walking. We took a trolly ride through old Portland, went on an old steam train trip on the East Promenade and had some wonderful seafood chowder served in a bread bowl. Back to the hotel for a couple of hours and then we finished the day at the Maine Mall with supper at the Old Country Buffet. Yum good. The sun came out about 2:00 and the weather was gorgeous for the rest of our stay.

Sunday morning, up and on the shuttle to the ferry. Walked on and really enjoyed watching all the activity in the Harbour. Beautiful day. The fog set in about 1/2 way across the bay and stayed with us for about an hour outside of Yarmouth and then beautiful sun again.

All in all a great trip and I managed to walk quite a bit. In fact my leg muscles are sore and tired but they will recover. I do want to be stronger before trying to walk that much again. I was so tired and sore on the way home. But I am so glad we made the effort and went. A lot of fun... and a great way to celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary.

Pain Management

There will be a six week course on pain management for people with chronic diseases. Starts in late September in Bridgewater and another one starts in early October in Liverpool. I have registered. A couple of years ago, I took the program offered by the Arthritis Society and this one is supposed to be similar. It should be a good refresher. I find that good habits sometimes fade if I am not reminded of them.

I Ache

For the last several days I have been helping my husband split and move our woodpile. Our winter heating fuel. We have been approaching this in a rational manner...I think. We only work at it for a couple of hours a day and on the days that I go to my day job, we work for less than that when I come home. While I am gone hubby, stacks the wood that we split and moved the day before. He is doing the bulk of the work, but I am standing on my feet for longer than usual and I am certainly tired at the end of the day. I am sleeping very soundly. My muscles ache but the joints are not any worse than ever. Which is a good thing since we have a lot of work still ahead of us.

Weekend plans

Another beautiful sunny day...summer is here at last. I have had more energy and stamina and less pain during the past few days. The Lunenburg Arts Festival is on this weekend and we are planning on attending tomorrow. Should be a nice day for it. Homemade seafood chowder, 75 artists, and 17 art galleries all in one small town. Almost too good to be true.

Sunny Weather

The sun of the last few days has brought a reduction in arthritis pain. So I am definitely convinced that my pain levels are influenced by the weather. Sunny, dry weather...less pain. Rain and fog...I hurt. Maybe not a medical breakthrough but a fact that will help manage my pain.

I am still experimenting with foods, to see which ones may have a bearing on my aches. The citrus doesn't seem to influence it one way or the other. So back to eating grapefruit for breakfasts.

I wonder if a brace would help to reduce/control the pain in my right knee. Guess I will check that out with my family doctor to get his opinion. Maybe I need to talk to a specialist about it.

We are planning to take in the art show in Lunenburg on Sunday. I will be walking quite a bit so will see how I make out, maybe I should take my cane.

Clutter

A comment I read several months ago has stayed with me. "No wonder I feel so tired and drained all the time, I am living with clutter." The woman expressing the thought was struggling with her life being "out of control". Her words not mine.

I have been thinking a lot about the whole concept of clutter, mental, spiritual, and of course the physical. The piles of papers that may be valuable, at least too important to throw out. That type of clutter is easy to see and relate to. And slowly I am coming to grips with the excess, getting rid of the items that are no longer used, and donating the clothes which are now too big, even the really comfortable favourite items.

The other clutter that isn't always easy to deal with is the mental kind. The should have's, could have's and if only's. Fortunately I don't have many but who doesn't have a few of them? And again, I am coming to the realization that what is past is done, LET IT GO!

There are many types of clutter, and at this moment I can't think of any that are healthy. One of my projects for the next three months is to reduce my clutter, streamline my life, my work and my surroundings. Things truly are not what matter to me so why am I hoarding "stuff"?

Grapefruit

I have avoided citrus fruit for the past two weeks hoping that the pain in my knees and hips would decrease...no such luck. So this morning I had 1/2 grapefruit with my breakfast. I will monitor the situation to see if citrus makes any difference.

Tried a slow cooker recipe for chicken yesterday and it was tasty. Six Chicken breasts, cover with a layer or frozen or fresh cranberries (1 cup) , a layer of sliced, peeled apples and then pour 1 cup liquid with 1 T brown sugar over the layers. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or a combination of high and low for 4 hours. Makes six servings. Calories are 193 per serving. (Based on 6 chicken breasts and 1 cup of cranberries) This would be very good served over rice (whole grain or wild of course) or even over a thin slice of bread or mashed potatoes.

Also very easy to make which earns high marks in my book.

Friday - a long weekend

For the summer my work hours will be Mon, Tues, and Thurs with Wed and Fridays off. Since I am paid by the hour it will cut back on the $ in the paycheque but it will also give me a chance to get a few more things done...maybe. It is good to see the sun again today, but my knees and hips don't seem to realize that it is sunny outside...they ache. We will try a trip to the gym tomorrow am to see if some exercise will help reduce the pain. I am turning into an invalid and a whiner. Neither is what I want to be.

I always find eating healthy a challenge in the summertime: ice cream, barbeques, drinks on the deck and fast food. More reasons to stay active through the summer.

I have a newsletter to get finished and out this weekend so I will be stationery a lot of the time, another challenge when it comes to weight control and loss. Most of my work is in front of a computer.

Enjoy the weekend.

Another Pound

Good weigh in yesterday. I lost another pound.

We had a great Canada Day. Quiet. We went into Liverpool and then on to Shelburne to see sights and for a drive. Cloudy and misty but no heavy rain. This summer looks like a dud so far...hopefully the weather will clear soon. I am growing mold on parts of me where there shouldn't be any:-)