willowraven's Friends

More Basement Kittehs.  For those who are not familiar with lolcats, basement cat is the devil and ceiling cat is the "great spirit"

Saturday was just as boring and uneventful as expected.  I kept falling asleep, dropping my book with a thud and was unable to finish watching any TV show.  Sigh.  The visiting nurse called and was running behind.  Asked if she could come Sunday morning - well why not.  She should be here around 9.

Plan for today:  Get in a morning nap so I can go shopping with Bill.  I decided that we can go to the supermarket where the pharmacy is to save effort.  I don't need much so even it their prices are a little higher it won't matter much. I am so looking forward to getting out!

Menu for today:  breakfast - boring old oatmeal again.  Lunch - thawed some chunky bolognese sauce (unsalted) and will cook a little pasta.  Supper - don't know.  Snacks - more fruit and boring old rice cakes.  I manage to get my 1450 calories by eating second helpings but don't really have an appetite when everything tastes so unsalty.  I am craving salt like anything and no amount of lemon juice or spices makes up for it.

I am a total grump this morning.  I couldn't go back to sleep so I'm up.  At least the wind has stopped.  I thought the howling would drive me nuts the past two days.  I won't inflict you with any more whining.  Be back later if I have something good to say.

Today:  Work on my attitude and try to be more positive. 

135 whooooooo! That was my revised goal for Dec 18th, so I guess I can try to go a little lower by break. My original goal of 130 is probably still a bit steep, but maybe 133 or 132 would be really awesome!

It seems the best I can say about any of my days is it wasn't too bad.  At least on Friday I didn't feel exhausted.  By late in the afternoon I was falling asleep in front of the TV,  Bubba seemed to like that and slept on his pillow wilth his head on my chest most of the time.  It was nice except when he'd decide to pat my on the face with his paws. 

I'm bored.

Plan for today:  another do nothing day of rest.  The visiting nurse will be here to check on me.

Menu for today:  Breakfast - oatmeal with milk.  Lunch - vegetable soup and cucumber and tomato salad.  Supper - the salmon I planned for last night (had vegetable soup instead)  Snacks - apples, and will these tangerines never be finished?

The wind really kicked up last night and is still howling past my window.  I turned on the heat for a little while, until I got into bed.  This morning it's on low to get the chill out of the air.  I moved my african violet away from the vent and will get some help to move the big plant too.  All my houseplants are thriving. 

Today:  Curl up with a book and listen to the wind rage outside. 

Maybe even a little less. Stress sucks but it's doing wonders for my body.

Trying to do 100+ crunches at night, and some squats, lunges and push-ups when I'm not too worn out, but the gym has stopped existing for me.

Tea, papers, papers, more tea and more papers today.

Grad school is tough, but I realized yesterday I'm still succeeding at it, and that it isn't impossible. Which is a good feeling. Not much left before Christmas :)

For me personally, this is a a pretty good day.  Lori and Rick are going to her family for dinner, and my cousin, Donny, is going to watch my dad while I play in a special poker tour. at the VFW.  It will do them both some good to hang out together. 

My afternoon is gonna be busy.  The poker tour I am playing in is going to be a straight freeze out tournament, with knock out chips, and a best hand pot. At $60, and with just 44 players, it should be some pretty tough competition.  And with $40 a player going to the prize pot, a damn sweet prize pot. 

But my cards have been running very bad, and with them my play lately.  I think the run of poor cards has frustrated me to the point where I have picked up a lot of bad habits I use to exploit, in the others that play there.  

You see a lot of bad play in those damn re-buy tournaments, while they can get back in people will gamble like crazy.  But once ya blow your chips today, there ain't no getting back in.  So the donks should be gone pretty quick. 

As to the greenhouses, we are ready to put on plastic.  Simply waiting for a couple of days of low wind to get that job done.  The place is excellent, and making it work is up to me.  Not only as a form of income, but also as a way to employ a few people, help the community, and stay on the cutting edge the local food movement. 

I know some people ask what difference does it make where my green peppers come from.  The most basic answer I have is that supporting local food production not only means eating fresher, healthier food.  But there is also a national security aspect. 

If, for some reason, the trucks can't cross the country, areas with local food supply will be much better prepared for whatever type of national emergancy stopped the trucks rolling.  It's simply a matter of common sense. 

People need to learn to grow their own food again.  One of the reasons our nation didn't completely melt down during the Great Depression, was because most everyone still knew how to grow a garden, and how to save the seed for the next season.  This knowledge helped to feed a the people in a time when their government, and financial institutions, had failed them completely.

But saving the world has to wait.  Got to get the place off the ground this year.  And I am promising myself to turn my obsessive nature toward making this business something I will be able to look back on with pride on that day I go to join the Gods. 

We all fight our battles in different way.  And this one is mine!!

Have a great Black Friday everyone!!

Excellent result from the overnight brine. The meat was juicy and flavorful, and the drippings were not excessively salty, so the gravy was good.

At the last minute, we packed up all the food and took it over to elder's to see their new house. It is gorgeous. I am so happy for them, and so grateful for my life. :)

I hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving.  My family went to extra trouble to make sure my meal was very low sodium.  I can't say I enjoyed that very plain food, but I certainly did enjoy the company, and I saw it on the scale this morning with another pound of water gone. 

Plan for today:  wash a load of old towels that I keep in the car.  One of them is soaked because I put it on the leaky floor.  Other than that I have no plans to do anything.  If I go out at all it will be to pick up prescriptions.

Menu for today:  breakfast - oatmeal with raisins and milk.  Lunch - leftover turkey dinner.  Supper - lemon salmon, spinach, carrots, bulghur wheat salad.  Snacks - tangerines, apples, yogurt.

It's going to be another dreary morning, but the forecast shows a little sun this afternoon.  I still haven't turned on the heat.  It was chilly last night but I managed with an extra blanket.  I like a cool room for sleeping. 

Today:  Fight off boredom with a book. 

Blue Heron Thanksgiving ~ Thomas Swopes, 2006

Wherever you are - I wish all my Calorie Count friends a beautiful Thanksgiving, filled with love and joy. 

1566/236.2

Art of the Season:  American Primitive Folk Art

Getting in the Winter Wood ~ Queena Stovall

Getting through each day is the only thing I'm doing right now.  Tuesday the visiting nurse was here.  My lungs are clear and my feet are swollen.  Now I have to spend at least 1 hour out of every three with my feet elevated above the level of my heart.  It did seem to help.  She was pleased that I'm gradually losing all that water weight. 

Plan for today:  I have an important phone call before lunch, then at 2:30 must take all my paperwork to the office for rent re-evaluation.  That has to be done each year, but my lease isn't up until February so this is kind of a pain.  There is still only one person in the office.  The office manager who has been gone for over a month signed everything they sent me, so I assume she'll be back sooner or later.  Meanwhile, the tennants are short changed.

Menu for today:  Breakfast - oatmeal with raisins & milk.  Lunch - half a chicken sandwich and salad.  Supper - pork chop, apples, cabbage and potato.  Snacks - tangerines, yogurt and triscuits.

It's another dreary, rainy day, but not quite as cold.  Right now it's 50 F, 10 C.  I'll avoid going out.  The nurse drew my blood for my weekly test, so at least I didn't have to go out yesterday.  I do have to pick up some prescriptions, but it can wait. 

Today:  All I want to do is sleep like an old bear in a cave.