Oh, my aching...

Yesterday, I had a voracious appetite, but I felt good and had a lot of energy. Today, my feet and knees are aching terribly. I know both issues are a result of my walking regimen and I had better stick to it albeit carefully. Tomorrow will be another day, but boy I'm whipped today. I've taken some ibuprofen and I'll put my feet up for a while, at least until it's time to walk Joey. She may get an abbreviated walk. However, I was talking to someone about walking, and she said we should have another good week before the weather gets bad. Gosh! I hope she's wrong. I hope I get more time to walk. I know I'm nearly crippled today, but I know how good this exercise is for me. Oh well, let's just all hope for nice weather.

Walking

Now that the respiratory virus I had is pretty much gone, I've started walking to work again. So, I'm walking to and from work and walking Joey twice a day, which means I'm walking close to two hours every day. I can really feel a difference in my butt and legs. They're all tighter, and my butt gets sore from sitting too long (less padding). Unfortunately, all this walking hasn't done anything for my appetite. But I'm working on controlling it.

Mari felt guilty that the drinks the other night seemed to affect my weigh in. She shouldn't. I know if I'm able to keep this regimen up, I'll quickly lose weight, and occasionally, I deserve to splurge.

Joey - Lately, I've been working on an afghan I'm knitting for a Christmas gift. The knitting helps me keep my hands busy and away from food, but Joey is jealous of my knitting. She'll jump up and intentionally sit on my work. And then she'll literally get in my face and go nose to nose with me. Actually, the other day she made a game of it. She'd leap up on my chest and touch my nose with her nose, and then jump down, stare a me for a few minutes and then leap up and do it all over again. She must have done that 5 times in a row. When Joey wants to play, she can be pretty funny.

Visiting Ye Olde Alma Mater

Yesterday, Ken and I went up to Mankato. I wanted to go to Hobby Lobby to find a coffee table to match my two end tables. Well, they didn't have the furniture they usually do because they have all their Christmas decorations out, so I'll have to wait until after Christmas.

While we were there, we decided to drive up the hill to the Minnesota State University Campus. Ken had been an undergraduate there well over a hundred years ago, and I went to grad school there a little less than a hundred years ago. It had been a couple of years since either one of us had gone up there. A lot of things have changed. The field where I remember watching rugby players is now a dorm. The campus looked really nice, and it was crawling with students, which I thought was sort of strange for a Saturday afternoon. But then it dawned on us. They had a home football game that day, which was confirmed when we drove past the stadium.

It was really a beautiful day out. It was warm and the leaves were really beautiful. Although I didn't get what I wanted, it was fun and a break from routine.

I had done really well on my diet this week...up until Friday. Earlier on Friday, I weighed myself and I had lost three pounds. But on Friday night, I went to Mari's and we had one of our MD (Movie and drinks) nights. The White Russians were ok, but I REALLY like the Moscow Mules. I had too many of them and some additional snacks. Then yesterday, although I was good as far as lunch went. I had an "Energizer Wrap" as Perkins, and it was pretty good, but I also convinced Ken to stop off at McDonald's on the way home for an ice cream cone. So, today when I weighed myself, the pounds didn't look as good as they had earlier. It was pretty much a wash, but when I measured myself I discovered I lost several inches all over. Today, I'm going to be bad again. We're having a fish fry, but I know that when I get back on track next week, the weight will quickly disappear. It was all a matter of timing.

Carpet Cleaning

Despite the fact that I still have the sniffles and an occasional cough, I apparently am over the cold. I came home tonight with energy to quite literally burn. I suspect it's a result of the diet. I hope it lasts, but at the same time, I find myself a bit restless.

I've been eyeing my living room and dining room carpet and I've been meaning to clean it. So, tonight, I shoved all the living room furniture into the dining room, vacuumed and then used the carpet cleaner on it. I cleaned up a lot of dirt, but the carpet still looks pretty rough in a few spots. I'd really like to do something else with the floor. I haven't been able to pull up a corner to find out whether it's a hardwood floor underneath or something else. I'm afraid the carpet is glued down. That's what was going on in the porch and it was nasty to sand up. If there isn't a hardwood floor underneath, I'd like to put down a laminate floor. Unfortunately, I can't afford either one right now. So, I'll clean the carpet in both rooms and I'll be put down new area rugs.

Joey wasn't too crazy about my endeavors. Apparently, she isn't afraid to get labeled with the stereotype as the vacuum cleaner frightened dog.

Whew!

This morning Joey and I had an interesting confrontation. I'm glad that Joey spotted the skunk at as great a distance as she did because I didn't see it right away. Once I did, I pulled Joey back until I saw that the skunk wasn't standing its ground and had run away.

Some of my friends have expressed concern for me on my early morning walks. However, I think they were more concerned about two-legged animals than four. This Iowa farm girl knows better than to tangle with the four-legged kind. I can only imagine the school's reaction if I had to call in sick because I had been sprayed by a skunk.

It's Getting to Be That Time of Year

There's a definite chill in the air and we all know it's inevitable. Winter is on its way. So, today, I mowed the lawn...if anyone is looking for hay to bale, you should have them contact me. I harvested what I could, and I started to winterize my garden beds. I brought in the potted herbs I hope to keep going for a little while longer, and I tied some parsley up to dry. I think I'll try to bring the patio furniture in next weekend. I'll miss those days when I can run out to the garage in my bare feet or grab a few green onions out of the garden. At the same time, I do enjoy the crisp, bugless air. And snow, if it isn't feet deep can make a very pretty picture.

But then, it's time for pumpkin, squash, and soup. It's a time that is more introverted and reflective. I don't know how people live without the changing seasons. I know it would be hard for me to go without.

Scat Cat

Last night and this morning it got very cold. It dropped down to nearly freezing. Lately, a pretty black and white cat has been curling up and sleeping in my patio furniture. This cat is driving Joey absolutely nuts. She must have wakened me at least five times barking her head off. I feel sorry for the cat out in the cold, but I'm going to be bringing the furniture in soon, if nothing else to keep Joey quiet.

I was actually feeling pretty good yesterday. We went to a nearby apple orchard and Ken did a little fishing. I felt like myself again. I thought I had licked the bug. But today, it hit me again. I've been coughing more and my head was stuffed up. Ken and I went to my parents' for lunch and I ended up asking him to take me home early. I just woke up after sleeping for a couple of hours. I feel better than I did, but still I'm not 100%. I guess I can't rush it and take it easy for a couple of days.

However, the good news is that I've lost a couple more pounds. The Weight Watchers thing seems to be working.