Dog/Leash/Poop Bag

I saw something so darned funny out of my livingroom window this morning. It was a dog dragging it's leash and attached to the leash was it's poop bag. No owner in sight. I tried to take a picture but I was laughing too much and it came out all fuzzy.

This dog's owner is quite unreliable so it's not a rare occurrence to see her dogs running loose...but surely she didn't send the little darlin' out to do his business and then clean it up himself! LOL!

Life is good but sometimes it's also strange.

Eating Sensibly...-8

Life tends to get in the way of our good intentions and that's the primary reason why I can't call what I'm doing a diet. If I made an attempt to follow a strict regimen then I'd be a failure almost every day and the feeling of failure is what sinks most diets.

Yesterday was fine as far as food consumption until suppertime. I had dinner at a friend's and drank 3 glasses of wine and had 1 single little square that she'd made. These things will not be on your average diet but they are things that are normally consumed once in a while. My true concession is that I didn't allow myself to eat more than 1 goodie and that's a success in my book.

I got weighed this morning out of fear I'd done some sort of damage but the scale shows an 8 pound loss. Funny, but my clothes are beginning to feel just a tad more comfortable even though 8 pounds off my frame isn't much. Even if the comfort is only my imagination, it's still nice.

Now I'm off to have breakfast at a local restaurant this morning. This is something we do every Sunday and my plate will hold 2 hard poached eggs and homefries. No toast! This is still a big breakfast for me because my usual is a banana.

Eating Sensibly...-9

I don't plan to weigh myself every day now but, after eating that little slice of sweet potato pie yesterday, I worried that all the past week's work had been for nothing. So this morning I stepped on the scale and it showed a 9 pound loss. Now I can relax and go on just eating sensibly and hoping for the best.

People who have never had to watch their weight have no idea how one pigging out can destroy the past week's progress in the blink of an eye. Maybe my transgression will show up on the scale later this week but, for now, it hasn't.

Eating Sensibly...-7

I was up at 7 A.M. and weighed myself...fluctuated a bit to a 7 pound loss for the week and I'm more than happy with that. But then I had to wait 2 hours before weighing in with the group and I didn't dare even drink a coffee. It finally turned out that the group leader's scale shows me weighing 1 1/2 pounds more than my own but that's okay. I'll just keep track with my scale but her's is a really good one and very accurate.

It wasn't as difficult as I'd thought to publicly weigh in because only Candy saw the horrendously huge figure, thank heavens. We had a slightly larger turnout this week and one lady was turned away because she refused to weigh in. She said she never even weighs herself at home but judges how well a diet is going by how her clothes fit. My heart went out to her but I understand why this group wouldn't work out if we didn't publicly weigh in each week.

We had our park parade and lunch today and I was very careful with my portions and declined the cake. Good me!

One problem. My nice next door neighbor came over with a little gift for me this afternoon...a piece of sweet potato pie. It's really not very big and my will power is waning.

More Park Parade 2010

Every January we have a park parade where some people and even dogs march along in crazy costumes. Yes, we're a little whacky but "who cares". We have fun doing these things and that's what matters.

After the parade everyone goes into the clubhouse where, for $2.00, they get potato salad, hotdog, pork & beans, cake, and a drink. Fun and food, all provided by a few easy going people and quite a few volunteers.

Special note: The first picture shown here is of our Turd King and Turd Queen. My good friend, Sheila, holds the coveted crown of the Turd Queen and I'm very jealous. It is one of my goals in life to be Turd Queen...maybe this year!

Park Parade 2010

Eating Sensibly

The day isn't over yet but it's been a very easy one to control my overeating. I got weighed this morning and am showing an 8 pound loss...up a pound since yesterday but fluctuation is perfectly normal from day to day.

The only problem I've had today is that I probably haven't eaten enough and am not hungry for dinner. This is never wise but I'm still full from a late lunch (Cuban sandwich and 2 coladas which are sickening sweet but absolutely wonderful Cuban coffees). I'm not worried about all that sugar because I consume very little sugar in a normal day. I'm going over to the clubhouse tonight to play Rummoli so I'll probably be hungry enough for some homemade soup or mixed fruit when I get back at 9 P.M. Again, it's not ideal to eat too little or too late but it will have to do for today.

I'm making sure to drink lots of water to flush the impurities out of my body, too. In my case, I prefer water that isn't too icy cold and sometimes even like hot water.

There are certain to be many more days when I have trouble eating sensibly but I'm going to keep trying to do my best for as long as I can. It's always so easy to start a better eating lifestyle than to stick with it so I'm not even going to say that this is the time it will work for me. Every day I manage to eat sensibly will be a success for me and I just won't look too far into the future.

Eating Sensibly

Yesterday was sort of a tough day for me foodwise. I weighed myself in the morning and was still holding the 6 pound weight loss but all day felt a strong desire to pig out. I forced myself to continue to eat normally...banana for breakfast, egg salad sandwich and small bowl of chicken noodle soup for lunch, and my own chicken pasta supper (possibly a bit too much). I knew that my stomach was full but my desire to continue eating wasn't being satisfied.

Knowing I had to face up to my friends this coming Friday morning and also knowing full well that this has happened with every so-called diet I've ever gone on, I fought the unwanted desire all day.

We played cards in the evening and one of the ladies was our "Eating Sensibly" leader. I told her about my difficult day and she suggested I have popcorn when I went home so that's what I did. It helped me survive until bedtime but I know that if it wasn't for having to write my consumption down and having to weigh in each day I wouldn't have gotten through yesterday without overeating.

Anyone who has ever had a weight problem and gone on diets over the years knows exactly how I've been feeling. We don't overeat because we need the calories but because we need the comfort. It's not so easy to give up our happy pills, is it?

This morning I got on the scale and saw a 9 pound loss...just since last Friday. Now I'm worried that something is wrong with me. Overweight people are just not geared to enjoy success like this and I simply can't accept that this is normal. I know how much I ate over the last 5 days so could I really have been overeating that much in the previous weeks????

Anyway, today is another day and I'll try once again to make it through without overeating.

Note: It's now almost 10 P.M. and it's been a much easier day eating properly. I've also jumped on the scale a few times and tonight it's registering only a 4 pound loss which makes more sense to me. That 9 pound loss I saw this morning made me nervous. My scale just isn't accurate so I'll rely on my friend's on Friday.

M.A.D.D. (Mothers Against Drunk Drivers)

I rarely write 3 blogs in a day but I just read something online that irritated the life out of me.

I used to do volunteer work for M.A.D.D. until I discovered how much collected money was actually going to the cause. Today I read a newspaper account saying that only 19 cents of every dollar donated to M.A.D.D. is used to fight drunk driving. The rest is used for administrative costs and to pay fundraisers. This is a terrible charity and one we should never, ever give our money.

My sister-in-law told me to check the website of "Charity Navigator" and that was useful for finding out the administrative costs of various charities but not M.A.D.D. I simply typed that name in websearch to find out about the 19% scandal.

I wrote this blog just to advise people to always research your charity of choice and to find out how much of your donation goes to the right place, not into the fundraisers pockets.

My favorite charity is Give Kids the World in Kissimmee, Florida where administrative costs are only 3% and fundraising costs 5% leaving 92% of your hard earned contributions going to programs. An excellent charity by far!

Eating Sensibly

Got weighed this morning and it still shows a 6 pound loss but I'm still going to allow a public weighing this Friday. I'm writing down everything I eat and that makes me think twice before eating a no-no. I remember how well this always worked when I dieted before and it makes a lot of sense because we heavyweights often eat without registering in our minds exactly how much we're eating.

I did well right up until dinnertime when I went out with a gang for a birthday dinner at the Outback. I tried. I really tried but didn't want a salad and everything else is so high caloric. In the end I ordered a chicken breast covered in cheese (and I do mean covered), part of which I removed, and a plain baked potato. The cheese wasn't a good choice but remember I did remove half of it.

I seldom eat in so-called "good" restaurants so I have to preplan what I'll order the next time I go to one. There really is no excuse for me ordering something soaked in cheese so I'll just take blame for it and leave it at that. Poor choices are what got me where I am today.

Because I've possibly lost 6 pounds already I might still have a few pound loss by the end of the week but my biggest fear is that all 6 pounds have returned to their original home...my fat little body. We'll see what the next few days show on my scale.

Nan, Are You Watching?

I was pretty well raised by my grandmother whom I called Nan. Looking back, I think I was a little embarrassed by her because she was a little different. Now I'm wondering if I'm following in her tracks.

Nan loved costume jewelry and wore what she referred to as "chandelier earrings" when she dressed up. I've taken to wearing medium large hoop earrings and lately I've added necklaces. I used to look in the mirror and see my mother but these days I'm seeing my grandmother. Not that I give a hoot...take me as I am or go away.

Nan was gregarious and loved to entertain company. This came in handy since she was the local bootlegger. She was also a heavy woman which always made me uneasy but look at me now! More and more I see similarities between us and I think we could have been good friends if we'd been the same age at the same time.

My grandmother passed away at age 72 and I'm in my 70th year right now. I wish she was still here...now that I've learned to appreciate her.

A Journey to Eat Sensibly

I'm terribly sensitive about my weight and have really struggled with it for most of my adult life. Looking back to my 20's, 30's, and even 40's, my weight was only slightly out of control but I thought I was enormous. Beauty may be in the eye of the beholder but my eye saw only flaws.

I could write a book on what we should and shouldn't eat, what we can do to fool our eye, what to avoid, etc., etc., etc. but I'm not going to do that with this blog. I'm just going to document the "eat sensible" journey I began last Friday and let the chips (or the fat) fall where they may. I've said it before, I don't want to be skinny, just comfortable.

There are a couple of ladies here in the park who have recently lost quite a few pounds using the Atkins diet and Weightwatchers. They've been kind enough to organize a group of us for every Friday morning at 9 A.M. to get together, get weighed, and support each other. I like this idea.

Now, for being publicly weighed. I am so deeply sensitive about anyone knowing exactly how much I weigh, I whined and begged these nice ladies to let me attend the group without having them weigh me. I planned to weigh myself privately at home and keep track that way. No-one but an overweight woman knows how intimidating that damned scale is even if you're the only one to see it soar.

Friday morning I weighed myself and felt physically ill. I'd gained 3 pounds since arriving in Florida and that was on top of an already outrageous number...I refuse to mention it.

I ate decently on Friday without starving myself and drank lots of water. On Saturday morning, I'd lost 2 pounds. Whoopee!

I ate sensibly on Saturday but did have a small kid's size fries at lunch. On Sunday morning I'd lost another 4 pounds. I just don't believe it. The 2 pound loss is normal, usually water loss, but the 4 pound loss makes no sense to me. I think the scale is broken.

I think I'll have to gather my inner strengths and allow my friends to weigh me on their good scale next Friday morning. Again, only an overweight woman knows how traumatic this will be for me but it's the only way I can see to make this journey to a slimmer me into some sort of a success.

Tune in tomorrow and follow attempt #10,000 for me to "become comfortable".

John Edwards..What a Weak Man

John Edwards isn't the first or last man to deny fathership but he's become a symbol for men at their weakest and most pathetic. Men who shirk responsibility for fathering and nurturing their children.

Since the beginning of time, some men just don't have the conscience to acknowledge and take care of their progeny so it's mainly been left to the mother to struggle on her own. The motherly instinct is probably why there are still human beings on this earth. Granted, there are also some terrible mothers but the numbers pale in comparison to absentee fathers.

I'm one of the abandonned ones who never even saw my father once. He spread his seed and then walked away as though creating a child was of no importance. Weak and pathetic man, that's what he was. I could have siblings I know nothing about and who I could walk past and never know we carried the same blood line.

To the men who casually create children they abandon...you have no idea how much you've lost in this life. Any real father could tell you that you've lost an incredible opportunity to make the world a better place and yourself a better man.

My own father has most certainly gone on to his reward in heaven and I bet he knows now what he missed out on. Me, my children, grandchildren, greatgrandson, and all the wonderful inlaws. We're nice people.

Walmart...Bad Employer

I'm a Walmart shopper, at least in the U.S. Canadian Walmart carries different and crummy merchandise for the most part but they aren't so bad in the U.S. I buy most of my fabric at Walmart here in the States and that's how I came upon this story.

I'm a Swedish weaving fanatic and buy monk's cloth at Walmart here because it's cheaper by far than anywhere else...I couldn't even afford to buy it in Canada! So this year, worried about most U.S. Walmarts closing down their fabric department, I've bought up enough monk's cloth to keep me busy for at least 5 years and I've gotten chummy with the salesclerks in the department.

Yesterday I bought up the last of white and beige, probably in the state of florida, and got chatting with the saleslady who appeared to be nearing 80. This isn't unusual in the States because many seniors need to work in order to afford their medication.

As she expertly cut the cloth (it isn't cut the same as other fabrics), she mentioned that all Walmart employees that day had been given instructions and areas to clean in the store. Her assignment was to clean the parking lot. The bloody parking lot and her an 80 year old lady!!!!

When she conmplained, her supervisor told her to just go and work in the department but she was worried she might be fired for disobeying an order. She said she'd worked at Walmart for 26 years full time and she felt that the store was making a concerted effort to get rid of all full time employees, probably so they wouldn't have to pay benefits. This is actually being done by many businesses so it's no surprise.

I told her that if she was fired, I would picket Walmart with her to get her job back. It was said in jest, not really believing Walmart could be so cruel, but I did mean it. Injustice like this needs to be addressed and if it meant walking a picket line then I'd do it.

I've heard for years that Walmart employees aren't happy with management but thought they were possibly unreasonable in their demands but if Walmart is capable of sending an 80 year old woman out to clean their parking lot, then maybe there's something to it.

The same management team who came up with the money saving, profit making program forcing sales people to clean the store and property might one day find themselves out of their high paying jobs. They might just find themselves at the age of 80 working for minimum wage and cleaning the damn parking lot.

Weekend in Georgia

Faye and I drove up to Georgia on Friday (3 1/2 hour drive) to visit with Shelley in her new house. We used Mapquest and didn't need the GPS until we got to her town, then Mapquest let us down and sent us in the wrong direction....either that or we misread the directions.

Shelley's house is in a small town and sort of out in the boondocks. It's set low and has a lake/pond right behind it but you could never swim there because it's probably full of alligators and snakes. It still looks awfully pretty, though, and the backyard is full of trees laden with Spanish moss...very southern. It's a brand new house that Shelley and John purchased at a good price from the bank. There are so many foreclosures in the States that this is the time to buy a house if at all possible.

Shelley had her final cortizone shot last week and is almost pain free now. What a blessing! It was so good to see her looking like the old Shelley instead of a pain ridden creature.

John's brother, George, and his family live right next door. This is his second family and the children, 3 & 2, are just precious. It's wonderful for them to live so close. George's wife, Rosie, went out to dinner with us...George was away on business and didn't get back until Saturday. He's still recovering from a heart attack he had 2 years ago and doing great, going to the gym and losing weight.

As luck would have it, we had to drive through rain on Saturday evening to see Lisette's play in Florida. She had the lead role and was pretty darned good. It was a spoof on a Mickey Spillane show but all the roles were gender opposite. Lisette played her part like a tough male private detective...cute, considering she's about 5' tall and weighs about 100 lbs.

It was pouring rain by the time the play was over so Shelley, Faye and I headed home and left John to drive home with Lisette in her little Volkswagon Bug. Sometimes the fates work in our favor and that night is a good example. Shelley was driving an SUV and the rain and winds pushed it all over the highway, hydroplaning way too often. She persevered until we were able to get off the main highway onto a side road and called John to tell him not to try driving home that night. They hadn't even started out yet because Lisette was held up with her friends so John ended up sleeping in her dorm room and they drove to Georgia the next morning.

We did some housework Sunday morning because Shelley and John were driving back down to Miami for a flight out to Bolivia in the evening. Faye and I kissed everyone goodbye and headed home about 10 A.M., stopping only for a nice breakfast at Cracker Barrel. I love that restaurant but they've never been able to make a decent omelet.

I don't know if it was all the driving but I napped half the afternoon away and then had another evening nap. Of course I then couldn't sleep all night. Sometimes the fates kick us in the butt.

I'm so happy I got to see Shelley before she went back to Bolivia because it will probably be over 6 months before I see her again. She's my baby and will always be no matter how old she gets.

Freezing in Florida

I spend my winters in a cute little trailer in a pretty trailer park just south of Orlando and have been doing so since 2000. We have just the occasional day during the winter when the temperatures will go below freezing...last year I think we had only one but this year we've had (so far) 10 in a row. Some of those days were actually barely above freezing but it's still a record as far as I'm concerned. I've covered all my outdoor plants but the prolonged cold has definitely killed a few. I only hope that the roots weren't affected and that they will survive.

This past week the air temperature has felt no different than being back home in Canada but the activities we have here have gone on as usual. When you're in a fun crowd and having a busy social life you tend to forget about the weather so I wouldn't want to be anywhere else, even with our terrible cold spell. If I was back home, I'd probably be hibernating alone most of the time and that just doesn't happen here in my wonderful Florida park.

I hope that when the time comes for my daughters to retire there are still economical ways to spend the winter here in the south. Trailer parks were disappearing at an alarming rate just a few years ago during the housing boom and those days will return, I'm sure. The average person might still be able to buy a modest house but it's here in the mainly senior trailer parks where life is most pleasurable. Mine has a vibrant community of busy seniors, many of whom serve as volunteers for most of our planned activities which make our winters a fun and happy time. It wouldn't be the same living in a regular house in a regular neighborhood.

I'll always be grateful for the fates that brought me to this park (my husband's friend) and to my husband for loving it as much as I do. We bought our little trailer in the spring of 2000 so this coming spring will mark the 10th full winter I've lived here. I hope for a few more at the very least. It feels as much like home to me as my own house back in Canada and I look forward to coming back as long as possible. Whatever happens in the future, my memories of this place (even the occasional freezing weather) will be happy ones.

Soooo Cold!!!

I have never experienced more than a 1 or 2 day in a row freeze here in Florida but this one might be lasting more than a week. I covered all my plants last Saturday and we're told it might be next Tuesday before the threat of freezing weather is gone. I'm wondering how long my plants can be denied sunshine before they die.

People who are just arriving from the north say it's bitter cold up there, too, so we're not alone. It's at times like this that I deeply disbelieve all the scare talk of global warming. Last year we had the rainiest summer in my memory with very little in hot weather so where is the warming??

Last evening we had 8 people around the Rummoli table and, among all the talk and laughter, we were able to forget the cold weather. Warm hearts, warm people...who cares about the cold?

Caledonia Couple Wins Lawsuit

Yeah!!!! Finally some justice for the citizens of Caledonia who have suffered from the lawless native Indian society that the Ontario government gave free rein for too many years!

I hope every single Caledonia citizen who had to put up with native uprisings, selfish demands, and criminal activity will launch a class action lawsuit against the Ontario government for their refusal to uphold the law. Money talks, baby, and the natives need to answer to the same laws as the rest of us.

With 70% unemployment, the natives had way too much time to bite the hand that feeds them, specifically the working person's hand. The Ontario government had to know they couldn't turn a blind eye to the non-native citizens of Caledonia and allow the natives to continuously break laws with little or no consequences forever. As it is, it went on way too long and I will never know why there weren't murders committed in that little community over this.

For the couple who settled out of court, I hope you got millions. For the rest of the Caledonia citizens, go for it. Sue the Ontario government's ass off. You deserve it after all you've been subjected to these past few years.