Shrinking Days of Summer - Week 5

I'm feeling a little blase. Last week I gained .4 of a pound. This week I lost .6 of a pound. No woot woots here. I mean neither statistic is worth reporting.

Overall, I'm going down very very slowly but in some way, that seems like a waste of time. Harry says "you're going down and that's all that matters" and I kind of agree but I have to face the fact that I'm not willing to make the sacrifices that are necessary to really make a difference.

I'll walk until I'm blue in the face but then I'll eat.

I'm up to 4 1/2 miles a day now but I can't say that I'm flying around the course. I do pretty well all day and I've really tried to increase the fruits, vegetables, and water. But then evening comes. Ahhhh reward time.

If I had never tasted a cheddar cheese flavored Quake or a Hostess 100 Calorie Pack Strawberry Cake with Cream Cheese icing and Creamy filling, I'd probably be a stick right now. (Warning. if you're not familiar with these products, avoid them at all costs. They are extremely hazardous to your weight loss efforts.)

I know what I have to do and that's what I vow all the time. I just won't buy them. But then Harry does. He's so nice. I know I should tell him not to buy them but then I forget (on purpose) so that he'll bring them home to me and I can indulge myself at night when I have to eat something to stay awake and watch TV.

Is this thinking a little skewed? Don't answer. I already know. But believe it or not, I'm still sure that my thinking will come around and result in shrinking. I just have to get to that point AND I seem to drop in little bunches after being kind of stuck for a couple of weeks. Yeah, I'll try that theory.

And this week I'll make some sacrifices - I'll try blueberries and grapes instead of Quakes.

And, Harry, this is your notice. Don't buy Quakes. I have to learn to live without them. The cakes? Well we'll see. I can't dump everything at once, can I?

Back To Striebel Pond

I just can't stay away. In fact I don't want to and the fact that I committed to walking everyday ensures that I'll keep on visiting. I miss the Dunes. I really do. But Striebel Pond is so close and the paths are so paved and safe and clean and there's so much to see that it's hard to bypass it to walk somewhere else. If there's one drawback to Striebel, it's that it is getting so popular. It's unbelievable how many people take advantage of it. And you don't see just walkers. You see joggers and runners and bicyclists, and roller blade speed demons. There are mothers pushing strollers and pulling wagons and corraling children that want to run ahead or lag behind. There are old people (obviously), young people and just as many men as women. And then there are the dog walkers with dogs of every breed and every temperament.
Don't get me wrong. I think all of that is good and there's plenty of room on the course for lots of people but sometimes it can get a tiny bit complicated when someone is going almost your speed but not quite and you have to pass them and there's oncoming. You get the picture. Mostly though I love it. Everybody is friendly and everybody is nice. And several times people have stopped me because I'm carrying a camera to tell me of a photo op that they discovered. Here's the most recent and it's a good one.
Then I spotted the swans. Or was I spotted first.
After I saw him, I knew the rest were nearby. And I was right. They were just hanging unusually closet to the shore today.
The wild flowers that were sown around the pond are blooming like crazy right now. I took just a few shots and liked them all well enough that I'm going to include them.

And my favorite:
These last pictures of the swans weren't taken today but when I took them I was able to get above and unusually close to them so I wanted to share them eventually. Today feels like eventually to me.
So that's it from Striebel Pond today. Until next time, this is Stillmary (no matter how old I am) signing off and wishing you all a good day.

Zachary Garrett

Zachary was born on his Aunt Teresa and Cousin Jeremy's birthday, June 26, 2008 in Kansas City, Kansas. His dad was stationed and his family lived at Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas. He spent a little extra time in the hospital because he had a high bilirubin count and some breathing difficulties. As a matter of fact Zachary and his mom had to wait in Kansas while his dad and siblings moved to DC. We all breathed a sign of relief when Patty and Zachary flew out to DC and the whole family was together again. Later those same breathing difficulties would make him a little more suseptible to RSV.

Here he is in the seat his Grandma and Grandpa H. gave him. You can see he's really stoked about all the fun things there are to do in it.

Although he was a beautiful baby, there was something just a little different about him.

Can you see what it is? Here I'll give you a hint. Here are his siblings pointing to the announcement of his birth in the hospital vestibule.

You can see it now, can't you? They're all towheads. Of course as soon as Zachary realized the error of his hair, he became a towhead too.

He's such an agreeable little boy!

Then when he was about 4 1/2 months old, that RSV came out of nowhere and bit him. It was a difficult, worrisome time for the week that he and his mom and dad spent in the hospital.

But he bounced back and never lost his cool.

Here's a picture of him and his family on the shores of Lake Michigan last summer.

And here he is now. Perfect except that he's so far away in Washington DC.

But near or far, Zachary, you're wished a Happy Second Birthday! And we can't wait to see you in person again!

Jeremy

Jeremy was born on June 26th (his Aunt Teresa's birthday), 1999. His mother labored long and hard but Jeremy was eventually born by Cesarean Section.

He was a wonderful, happy baby who stole all our hearts.

From the time he was really little, he was a bit of a hat man:

A musician:

An athlete:
And a hard worker:

He did love getting into things:

But he was sweet and loving to his family, too.

And as he's grown older, he's remained just as sweet, just as loving, and just as athletic. He's the starting pitcher for his baseball team.

So Jeremy, we're proud of you, we love you, and we're wishing you the Happiest 11th Birthday ever!