So, what have I been musing about lately? My Resolutions for one thing. I figured out how to use some of the features on Blogger; I feel I've been a little more creative with the ideas I'm coming up with (I have a whole list waiting to be written and photographed); and I'm blogging more often. That's about it!
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Oh, all right, yes, there was a fourth....I haven't lost a single pound. ☹ But not because I tried to. I just didn't feel motivated to change my eating habits. I was having a discussion with my husband the other day about the fact that since I started going to the Fitness Center with him three years ago I've gained weight. I shudder to think how much I'd weigh if I wasn't walking that 2.5 miles five days a week on the treadmill and using the machines for 10 minutes a day. He says muscle weighs more than fat and I need to up my workout regularly. He says if I don't feel like I'm pushing myself I'm not going to lose. I say why should I wear myself out and then once it gets easy set about wearing myself out some more. I thought the whole point in life is to make life easier not harder! And besides, I told him, I've been thinking about how his mother had gotten much too skinny by the time she was in her 90's and was so frail she broke her hip and suffered quite a bit--it shortened her life in my opinion. I told him maybe I should save my extra fat for when I'm old and need it. So that's where I am with that! I suspect when it gets warmer and I start wearing less clothing I'll probably change my mind about my plan to save my fat.
The other thing I've been thinking is I'd like to use my Kitchen Window posts to start discussions. We have so narrowed our social activities that I'm starved for good conversation. (Starved? See I just can't get away from the thought of food!) Perhaps diets and losing weight and exercising might be our topic this month. Martha, are still getting out for your daily walk? So, what do you think, should we talk about diets and exercising....or should I save it when we're all more in the mood?
Or, maybe you can share what you've been thinking about so far this year. Have you been planning your garden? Perhaps your summer vacation? Because the weather's been so treacherous just about everywhere it seems, maybe you've hunkered down and been reading a good book you'd like to talk about? Janet M., have you started that book about the 1938 New England hurricane yet?
Because I'm an organizer at heart (I heard that--ok, ok...maybe a bit of a control freak) my only rule is that if you are replying to a conversation already started that you use the "Reply" button under that comment. It will have the word "Delete" next to it. If you are starting a new discussion, then use the "Reply" button that is all by itself below all the other comments. This way it will be less confusing. And oh, if you're replying to a particular commenter, please use their name so we know whose comment you're responding to.
I'll end with the view out the other window....
I hope you'll get our conversation started. I'm listening....
What a wonderful view and In see you have the Beatrix Potter Figurines like Susan Branch! How fun!
ReplyDeleteYes, Susan inspires us all with her books and blog!
DeleteI too have a few Beatrix Potter figurines, although I've had most of them for 20 years, long before I discovered Susan Branch, mine also live in the kitchen! It's always amazing to me how many things "girlfriends" have in common. ;-)
DeleteShelley, Beatrix Potter was my second son's nursery theme in 1982. I collected the stuffed animals then. I didn't start collecting the figurines until I saw Susan's.
DeleteHi Cathy, I see it's a winter wonderland at your place today! So pretty--we are just wet and muddy and lots of rain this am.
ReplyDeleteWe have been walking every day, usually our two mile walk outdoors if it's not too cold. If it's raining or is too cold we go to the mall and walk. It was so pretty this weekend we walked the 5K trail in our town both days. I could definitely tell it was longer ( my body that is) but so pretty to be outside and enjoy the sights and sounds of nature. I have always struggled with weight issues and decided long ago not to go on any more extreme diets. They make matters worse. I just try to eat more fruits and vegetables daily. Loving to cook and eat can be a problem for sure.
My husband and I have been busy trying to get rid of old records that we have saved through the years. We have shredded around 10 boxes of old records. Why in the world did we save these items? My husband is somewhat of a pack rat! He retired last year and this is our focus these days--I know--BORING!
Enjoy your afternoon! ♥
Hi Martha Ellen! Having something lovely to look at while you walk certainly does make it a little easier. I have to listen to an audiobook while I'm on the treadmill or else I'd never last as long as I do. I've never attempted to do an extreme diet just because I know I wouldn't last more than a day. I just try to cut out the snacks between meals and eat a little less at supper, but like I said, I wasn't very motivated to do even that this past month. It may take getting back out in my garden to deal with the extra 10 lbs. I've put on. Raking usually does it for me and hauling and shoveling dirt. I won't tell you what I have stored in my attic concerning old records....only that it's a good thing I didn't marry YOUR husband or else I'd really be in a fix for storage space right now. I consider it historical records! Who throws away historical records! What we are planning to do this year is get financial records/estate/funeral arrangements sorts of things organized so that our boys don't stand around shaking their heads after we're gone, muttering bad things about us. And I do keep my clutter in the attic labeled! They can just heave the whole box if they're not interested in keeping it. It has already stopped snowing here and is starting a melt as I can see water dripping off the roof. Thanks for your comment!
DeleteI've started some new crafting! I'm on Pinterest, & found several sites on mosaic and colored glass projects. Everything from windows that look like stained glass, but are easier. Also terracotta pots that are covered with pieces of broken plates, etc. to give the effect of mosaic. I figured while I heal from my surgery, I can make some beautiful pieces for gifts. That's all that is going on here in the sunny gulf coast of West Florida :)
ReplyDeleteHi Sandy. That's great about your new hobby. I look forward to seeing photos of your creations on FB. I'll be thinking about you and praying on Thursday. xoxoxo
DeleteCathy, I agree with you about historical records, though I did mention to my husband that there will not be a need to save "everything" as there will not be a "presidential library" built in our honor. Our motivation for all this is so our children will not have to one day. ♥
ReplyDeleteYes, but what if one of your kids or grandkids becomes famous? They'll need all that "historical data" for their biographies! :-)
Delete“Saving my fat” - !!! That’s hilarious, but I can relate. I think our DNA may be a little hardwired to accept extra weight in Winter, for obvious reasons. It feels a little cozier, doesn’t it? I know I feel the same though. Not awfully motivated [physically] in the cold weather. Terribly motivated when Summer comes. Yes, I have started “The Great Hurricane of 1938.” Plus I found another book on the same topic, “Sudden Sea.” In addition, my niece gave me a book on the 50th anniversary of the JFK assassination for Christmas - with remembrances by a lot of prominent Americans [which is fascinating]. So I am in history heaven. And aren’t we having an excellent Winter for readers? This is me trying to keep a positive spin on this weather - at least it is good for the readers among us out there! LOL!
ReplyDelete☺I'm glad you like my humor! My husband came upstairs laughing, too. He remarked that this post sounded most like the real me--the me only he gets to see. I agree about winter fat. I started putting on the pounds last Autumn when the squirrels were burying their nuts! I spend my winter evenings reading, too. Once we start getting light outside after supper it will be hard to keep my nose in a book, especially when it gets warm enough to be outside puttering around in my garden. I can't seem to get into factual history books, but if it's a biography of someone I'm interested in I love it when the events that helped form that person's life are included. With you being in upper NY I'd say you have lots of winter reading time left! Happy reading...
DeleteOh I love biographies too, Cathy - I get that from my mother. She was always reading them. When I was younger I was a mostly-fiction person - but my interests have changed somewhat. And I'm willing to bet you might like history books too - if you get one written by a really good writer. I'd suggest David McCullough or Stephen Ambrose to start - they're both excellent. And if you like biographies, I just finished "Winston and Clementine" about the Churchills - a wonderful book full of their letters and edited by their daughter. So that's history and biography in one! I still have both Bill and Hillary Clinton's autobiographies on deck too. No shortage of reading material here! Stay warm and batten down the hatches - another storm on the horizon. SIGH - Spring won't get here soon enough for the US this year...
DeleteJanet, it's 32 degrees and raining this morning so we're expecting ICE this morning. We heard the power go off for a moment around 5:00 a.m. so we got up and made coffee THEN just to make sure in case it went off for good. I especially love biographies of people whose house I can go visit--like Emily Dickinson and all the authors's houses we visited on our New England tour, but I only got to read about half the biographies before I lost interest because the excitement of visiting had come and gone...there were too many to fit into my "window of enthusiasm". ☺
DeleteOh you poor thing! A power failure in the Winter is the worst. Dark AND cold! And now I would really miss my computer too. My MacBook is good for about 7 hours when fully charged. After that if the power was still out, I'd be cold and bored! No fireplace here either. I guess it would have to be Nap Time after that. We had a really bad ice storm in Rochester in March 1991 - all of Western New York State was crippled. Some areas in the region didn't get their power back for 2 weeks! I was lucky - only 3 days without power. At my school the faculty had a Funniest Hairdo Without a Blow Dryer contest - LOL! That was really fun, but the rest of it I would NOT want to experience again. Hope you have your power back now... Take care!
DeleteI have to admit it took me awhile to deal with my habit of checking my e-mail, Twitter and Facebook constantly! But once I dealt with that I started enjoying the adventure. I must say having a fireplace to keep us warm does help. It was 62 degrees and normally I keep it at 66 so it wasn't that much of a difference. It was even toastier in bed because I added another comforter. I much prefer to lose power in winter because we just set all our food out on the porch! No loss there. We lost power during the summer in 2012 for over a day during a heat wave and that was a far worse experience in my opinion. The Funniest Hairdo contest was ingenious! So much better than sitting around feeling sorry for oneself! But two weeks!! I'm not THAT adventurous!
DeleteYour conversation with your husband sounds a lot like the ones at our house. LOL. And I love looking out your windows!
ReplyDeleteThanks! Just now posting your comment because we've been without power for the last 32 hours due to the ice storm we had here.
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