Company over the Weekend

It was not the most productive weekend I’ve had of late, but it was a fun one. Friday night Don & his daughter Rose (my 22 year old adopted niecelette) came for an overnight stay on their way up to visit friend in the north county and myself.

Don had high hopes that the pair of us would get down to serious discussion and mapping out of our upcoming 'All Birds, All the Time' trip to Wisconsin this spring. No such luck! Instead, while Don sat neglected amid a pile of Minnesota and Wisconsin Birding Guides in the corner, Rose and I got into a lively game of Trivial Pursuit - the Harry Potter version. Soon it wasWHOOPUS ARSEUS! That means I won. *Tee hee*

Saturday morning we had one of the house specialties, heart shaped waffles with blueberries & maple syrup and then we were off to the Farmer's Market. Don & Rose bought some beautiful iris to take to their friend. I bought my usual lilies and on impulse bought a fresh Christmas wreath for the front door - the only sign in my home that the holiday season is upon us. After the Farmer's Market we all went our separate way but that was not the last of seeing my buds.

Sunday morning on their way back to the Bay Area Don & Rose popped by again. Don, in a spontaneous act of incredible kindness (which actually happens annually) took it on himself to clean my roof and gutters of leaves. Honestly, do I know how to pick my friends or what?

I asked Don & Rose to pose for me in the back yard by my beloved Hawthorn tree. A berry fight immediately erupted, after which they headed back to the Bay Area.

Spare the berries, spoil the child.

Brownie Bite

I for lunch I chose a ubiquitous cup of Campbell’s Chicken & Dumplings soup; no big deal. On the way back to my desk with my microwaved soup I passed the remnants of the first of many of my office’s holiday season buffets. I nicked an eensie little brownie 'bite'. ‘Bites’ are those scaled down tidbits that are popular now. I like them; I can sample something which in full size has more calories in it than the Carlsbad Caverns have bats.

So back at my desk, the soup went down easily enough. Then I tried the brownie bite, which to be honest here, was a half dried out leftover that had probably sat on the counter since yesterday, was most likely no fresher than last Wednesday’s last minute Thanksgiving bakery sale at the local market.

To my delight – and to my horror - that one stupid, sucky, old, counter-stale brownie bite resulting in explosions of chocolate goodness in my mouth. I’m talking oral-gasms of rich chewy chocolate goodness - a sybaritic sensation of fudgey joy dancing a tarantella as it journeyed down my throat.

It is ungodly cruel what a couple of week's reduced sugar intake can do one’s perception of flavor.

Note to self: have taste buds scrapped from tongue; cost of surgery will be offset by the aggravation saved in the long run.

Tah Dah!

Most people have a ‘ta dah’ point when something tips them over the edge. I had one a few weeks ago. A new vest I ordered off the Internet fit far more snugly than it ought, especially considering that I ordered it in a size roughly equivalent to the girth of Jupiter.

I was horrified; felt myself tipped over a dreadful precipice of admission - I have become… uh... increasingly ample. You know what I mean.

In the past decade my weight remained static, or at least seemed so to me. I gradually built up a wardrobe of comfy clothing that I like. Then I had the BIG ACCIDENT, which resulted in my having snapped my ACL ligament in my right knee. Post-accident I stopped whatever exercising I had been doing - walking and using my treadmill - but my eating habits remained the same. No surprises there.

That brings me back to the vest; a marvelous, cream colored, faux sheepskin lined, pocketed & hooded vest which is so cute I squeal every time I look at it. I ordered it in 'my' size but to zip it up I had to suck in my gut and turn blue. The aggravation! That was the 'ta dah' moment that pushed me over the edge - decided I must do something.

My concession to girth challenges are two:

1. I may eat anything I like, as long as I write it down.

That may not sound like much of a concession but happily, doing so pretty much halved the amount of calories entering my vast untamed maw. I'm apparently too vain to eat some things some things if I must record it on paper. The spiral bound journal I log my chow in is adorable; has lovely feathers all over the covers and pretty lined paper. I'm into esthetics.

2. I exercise a minimum of 30 minutes, 3 times a week.

That's the full extent of my new routine – write it down, work it off. No big changes there, but the pounds ounces are just pouring trickling from my ample arse.

Progress report: my adorable vest can be zipped up & within its admitedly still snug grip I do not feel quite as much like a ten-pound sausage in a 2-pound skin.