Our weather is overcast today and a few degrees cooler than it has been. Other than the adorable GoldenDoodle that Molly got to play with on our walk this morning, our neighbourhood seems to be just a little gloomy.
Fortunately, our Genie is out and about taking in the scenes in Toronto with her new iphone 13 Pro Max. I am not sure how anyone gets that excited about using any new piece of technology, but I am grateful that she sent me plenty of new photos to share.
Today I decided to focus on a few of her nature shots….
I think she is doing great with her new phone but these kids were born into technology. I remember Genie sitting on my knee playing games on our computer, when she was too small to reach the top of the desk on her own. I also remember the day my boss bought me my very first calculator. 🤣
Anyway, that’s it for today. Take care and have a good day! 💞🤗
Twenty seven weeks in and I am still working it, getting fit and staying healthy. Things were getting a bit ‘routine’ for a bit, but with some encouragement, support, and solid advice from my Volly workout friends I am back on track. I have gone from my Zumba routines back to my freestyle dancing after my morning walk and I am doing some meditating and a bit of work with light weights and it is going good. Between that and the beet juice, sauerkraut, and cold showers, I am feeling pretty good these days.
Molly and I had a pretty good walk this morning. (Molly was good but I did accidentally swallow a bug) We are averaging about 2.5 k (1.5 miles) which isn’t where I would like to be, but it is what Molly can handle right now. In a few weeks, our temps will be cooler, the mosquitoes will hopefully be gone, and Molly will be a little more mature. And 2.5k is a LOT further than I would be going if I had never taken that first step on this journey back in February. I think about that quite a bit lately. I am so grateful to my old flabby, tired, sickly self that made the effort to get up and get moving. 💗
I have a few photos that I took, to share today…
I loved the sky when Molly and I set out this morning. It was so steel grey and silver! My photo doesn’t do it justice.I picked a bowl of little salad tomatoes when we got home. They taste so amazing!There are some Hungarian hot peppers ready to pick.We still have a few petunias that have survived Molly and Dan cleaned the pond (again) this weekend. 💞My special red petunias are not as dark as they were in the spring but they still look nice with those little white flowers.Official annual tree shot. It is getting harder to get a somewhat full shot of it. 😯Obligatory dog shot. 🙄Jalapenos
That is it for today. Take care and have a great day!
It is Sunday morning and a beautiful day to be alive! Being a Sunday, it is a rest from my more strenuous activities, but Molly and I began the day with another good walk. We only had one encounter, with a biker passing through the neighbourhood, but he did stop for a chat and the opportunity to give Molly a good petting – without being jumped on! 👍 We made 2.5 km before Molly was ready to get back home, take a splash in her pool, have a Sunday snack, and an extended nap.
Ready to relax…
Being Sunday, it was time for another check-in by our Genie. She is settled back into her bunk and behind her Guest Services desk at the CNE (sporting a new haircut for the occasion). She is enjoying working with her three local co-workers, who all seem to be quite a bit her senior. I think she is ready for a bit of homey-ness parenting/grandparenting type company. Her first impressions of Toronto, the CNE, and her immediate surroundings? HUGE !
She hasn’t had time to take many photos yet but she did manage to pass on a few for me to share.
They made it!Driving through the cityHer ‘art’ attack for the day.
I am pretty sure these next three photos were taken for her brother Rory. This is one massive gaming room.
Fireworks over the midwayI’m not sure if she was sending proof that she IS eating or just that she really misses her kitchen and home cooking.
That is all I have for today. Take care and have a great day! 💞🌞
It is another beautiful summer day here in Saskatchewan. Molly and I went for our morning walk and it was pretty decent. We didn’t go far but Molly (and I) got in some prime socializing so it was definitely a win. We met a young man with a two year old pup, an older man, and two women we see regularly on our route. Molly played nicely with the pup for a few minutes and she was very good with all of the people. She didn’t jump up on anyone 🌟 she was very polite and affectionate when people petted her 🌟 AND she sat quietly beside me while I would chat with them🌟.
Who’s the good girl?
Our granddaughter Genie, who has been working Guest Services with North American Midway this summer, drove from Saskatoon to Toronto this week. She alternated driving with her friend Chelsea and they were joined by a couple of other young girls who work with them. They are now at the CNE exhibition which opened yesterday.
Being the sweetheart that she is, Genie has been sending me some photos to share. These ones are all from their drive through Ontario.
Google translated as “report driving with affable faculties made on 911”. I think I lost something in the translation – It should probably mean “Call 911 to report drunk driving”. 🙄Flying saucer over roadside lake. 😂Watch for snowmobiles crossing – and charming horse drawn buggies!
They were fortunate enough to have a good trip, miss any bad weather, and experience a whole lot of gorgeous scenery. Genie sent me a short video that she shot as well but for some reason I cannot save it to my phone in order to share it. It showed some beautiful sights, and from the soundtrack, it would be safe to say the girls were having a good time singing along with the radio and enjoying the views. All in all a pretty amazing experience for Genie and her co-workers!
The girls came by way of Regina to take the TransCanada. 2900 km (1800miles) from Monday afternoon to Wednesday evening. I would love to make the trip one day but I am pretty sure one overnight stop would not do it for me.
Genie is in Toronto until moving on to the exhibition in London, Ontario beginning September 9th, then flying home on the 20th. I am sure I will have more photos to share before she is done her wandering ways.
That is it for today. Take care and have a great day! 💞🤗
I just got a notice that it has been three years today since I joined WordPress. I didn’t have a plan when I joined. If anything, I thought it would keep my brain from turning to mush if I started writing on a regular basis after I retired, but it has become so much more than that for me.
I have met and ‘connected’ with so many people that I would never have met otherwise – often people that I would never have expected to find any common ground with. Yet I do! I have had my eyes opened to so many different interests, opinions, and just general knowledge. I find it fascinating that in some ways our lives are so similar, regardless of where we live in the world. Yet, in other ways, we do things so differently, that it is equally fascinating for the opposite reason.
I also find it amazing how my life has CHANGED in the past three years. I don’t think anyone was seriously planning a pandemic or could have imagined how that would play out, but here we are three years later and life has changed.
Anyway, I am so glad that I happened upon blogging and WordPress. I have enjoyed my time here and have no intention of leaving anytime soon. Thank you to all who read my blog, regularly or occasionally and thank you to all who provide me with blogs to follow. I appreciate you sharing your lives and interests and photos. 💞😊
On to Genie news… The girls made it to Toronto yesterday. Genie and Chelsea switched off driving so they only made one overnight stop. They stayed at a hotel in Sault St. Marie on Tuesday night, where they met up with others from the exhibition group who were travelling from Saskatoon to the CNE in Toronto. Genie sent me photos from the last couple of days that I will share in the coming days. Today, I will just post a couple that cracked me up.
Dan and I occasionally watch a show on TV about border crossings. One situation that I could never quite grasp was how people could ‘accidentally’ cross borders (at major controlled crossings). They are pretty obvious with all the lights, signs, border guards and the like.
Apparently it can happen to anyone… 😂
In their defense, I did check things out on Google Maps and I can see how that could happen in Sault St. Marie. Still funny tho 🤣
And back here… So, it has been six months since I started my mission to get fit. I have come a long ways and most of it has been really good and I have had a lot of positive results from this experience. This last little bit, things have been less inspired. It happens. With a little help from my friends, I am in a better headspace today. After I walked Molly this morning, I came home and instead of doing one of my regular You Tube Zumba workouts, I went back to the days of putting in my earbuds and dancing to my own dance mix. I just freestyle danced my butt off for an hour and it felt great!
This is one of the new (old) songs in my mix. It was shared with me this morning. I just had to share it with anyone out there who needs a good reason to get up and dance today. 💗💗💗
“It’s my life, it’s now or never. I ain’t gonna live forever. I just wana live while I’m alive! 🎶 Bon Jovi
That is it for today. Take care and have a great day! 💞🌞
Molly is six months old today! We celebrated this morning with our usual walk around the neighbourhood. She did great on the sidewalks and back alley – not so good going through Patricia Park. I have no idea why she can’t deal with parks but we made 3.5k so I guess that was okay.
Checking out a bit of litter…Just eating wood…
I had a chat with Genie before we went for our walk. She is on her drive to Toronto. So far so good! She drove from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan to Winnipeg, Manitoba and her friend Chelsea drove through the night to Thunder Bay, Ontario. They were stopping for breakfast before Genie got back behind the wheel. Tonight they are staying at a hotel along the way before heading on to Toronto tomorrow. 😊
She sent me a few photos to share.
Lumsden Valley just north of ReginaSunset at Brandon, ManitobaInto the night…And into Ontario this morning‘It’so pretty out here.”GenieI agree!And foggy 🙄
I hope the rest of their drive goes as well as it has so far. They are driving around Lake Superior today and lake Huron tomorrow so the scenery can only get better. But… that is one long drive. I am so glad Chelsea is there to help with the driving and that she is familiar with the route.
That is it for today! Take care and have a great day! 💞🌞
It has been 26 weeks since I started my fitness plan. It was exactly six months yesterday. I am halfway to a full year of working to get and stay as fit and as healthy as possible. With all of the benefits I have discovered and all of the encouragement that I have received, I have no intention whatsoever of slacking off. I have no doubt that I will be celebrating a full year of fitness six months from now. 😊
This morning, Molly and I started our day with a 3 km walk. We began going on daily walks on July 1st – two and a half months ago.
Molly’s 1st Official Walk
Molly was a big, rambunctious puppy, so I was concerned about what would happen if I failed to control her. I decided THAT would never happen. In my infinite wisdom, I decided to take the easy way out. As we set out on our first official walk, Molly was securely strapped into her harness and I had a death grip on her leash.
Needless to say, that did not go well for either of us. Molly did everything in her power to make our walks a daily battle. I tried a clicker, I tried treats to reward (and occasionally bribe) her. I finally resorted to a special training harness. All had limited success. Finally a few days ago, I was watching a video of a dog trainer working with people who had dogs with particular issues. One woman came out with a little dog that was always straining at her leash and trying to attack other dogs. The dog trainer looked at the woman and told her to stop engaging her dog in a game of Tug of War. The woman looked so much like me. She had the leash wrapped around her arm six times AND had a death grip on it to boot. I was embarrassed for her – and for me! The next day I loosened my grip on Molly’s leash and she was WAY better. This morning, I extended her leash about three feet (it has different metal rings that I can clip on to). That made ALL the difference. Molly and I walked along at a comfortable pace without a single incident.
As we were trucking along, it occurred to me how often we try to take the ‘easy’ way when dealing with challenging situations. I don’t know if everyone does, but I am sure it is pretty common for people in my age group (baby boomers). We watched our parents work SO hard that it just didn’t seem right. We decided we would have easier ‘better’ lives ( and that our children and grandchildren should be equally blessed). Except life does not work that way. We are challenged in order to grow stronger and healthier – mentally, emotionally, and physically. Taking the easy way out just doesn’t cut it. (Nor does trying to pave the path for our children and grandchildren, but that is a whole other chapter in my book on questionable infinite wisdom. 🙄)
The easy way, is particularly counterproductive when it comes to getting or keeping fit and healthy, especially as we age. Collagen which is vitally important to every part of our bodies begins to decline in our thirties. (Unless we are born with a genetic collagen disorder – then it begins before we are born 😧) By the time we hit our sixties – and looking to retire and ‘take it easy’, it is a serious issue for many of us. At our age, even those who are healthy and strong can lose collagen in a matter of weeks if we do not keep active and maintain a healthy diet.
I found this article online and it explains in a better way than I could, what collagen is, what it does, and ways we can maintain and improve our levels of it even as we age. It does not mention how important physical activity is to maintaining and increasing our levels of collagen, but that is definitely an important part of the equation!
The great news is, we absolutely can maintain and improve our levels of collagen as we age, but there is no easy way to do this. We have to do the work and maintain a proper diet. The ‘work’ does not have to be unpleasant – walk, run, dance, swim, lift, hop, skip, and or jump. Find and do what works best for you. And the diet does not have to be bland or unpalatable. It has to be nutritious, although there are specific foods that are better at supporting collagen levels.
I walk less than one hour every morning, I do one thirty to forty five minute You Tube Zumba class when I get home. Other than that I do my housework and cooking, spend time in our garden, brush Molly and clean up after her. That is pretty much it. And I have never felt better and stronger. It is amazing. I am so glad that I am not still trying to take the easy way out, sitting around and hoping I feel better tomorrow so I am up to doing something. I know I would never have felt better going that route.
That is it for today. It is beautiful out and I am ready to get out there to enjoy this weather while it lasts. Take care and have a great day! 💞🌞
Ps.. the new header image on the website version of my blog is a modified version of a picture Prim sent me last night. 💞
Molly and I started off on our walk this morning. The weather was perfect – not too hot, not too cool, not too humid. We went to the end of the block and I decided to come back to the house for a minute. We got in the yard and big fat raindrops started to fall. The skies opened up and it rained hard for two or three minutes. It stopped as suddenly as it started and we headed back out. We went two miles. Molly did perfect on the sidewalks and the back alley. We took the path through Regent Park and she acted up all the way through. Arghh … It is frustrating but it always feels good to get home. We got our walk in. We got home in one piece. Molly did a lot right – and she is still a puppy. We’ll get there.
I played in wet sand when we got home. 🙂
Granddaughter Genie and I had our Sunday chat yesterday. This is her last day in Saskatoon and then it is off to Toronto. One of the managers had to fly there early so she has Genie driving her car there for her. It is a thirty hour drive but she has a friend to help with the drive and a sister for company, so they will have a grand adventure. 🌟
Genie had to invest in a new camera this week as her old one gave out. (She must take after Grandma and Grandpa when it come to putting off upgrades. 😂). Anyway, she was excited with the improved quality of her photos so she sent me quite a few. I hope you enjoy!
This one was from her old phone. Genie’s little sisters, Maddy and Prim, at the Regina ex last week.My kind of tattoo art…. Elephant! (This is not Genie)This is Genie, sporting a new tat for her brother, Rory. She already had a sunflower on one wrist for Maddy, a Primrose on her other wristfor Prim(Rose), and a ladybug on her left shoulder for Grandpa. 🐞Now for her choice of exhibition artwork this week!This is my ok? for the week. 🙄Saskatoon obviously has some talented youth!I love that top one.. and gummy bears.. I love all three! (I hope when I inevitably choke to death on a gummy bear, people will just say I was killed by a bear and leave it at that. 😂) My favourite this week💞Close second – very close!
And, that is it for today. I am hoping Genie will have some great nature shots for me by next Sunday. They are taking the Canadian route to Toronto so they will be passing through some amazingly scenic areas.
Since I started working on my health and fitness in February, I have searched You Tube for fitness videos, Amazon for workout clothes, and Googled low calorie healthy meals, nutritional facts, and the like. Naturally, I have been bombarded with advertisements for related products – most often diet pills.
This one has became a regular!
I do not take diet pills. In fact, I don’t take ANY pills that I can avoid, and most of the one’s that I cannot avoid disagree with me one way or another.
My ‘stash’ and the Claritin doesn’t agree with me. 🙄 I have been taking prescription Siv-Rabeprazole (for excess stomachs acid) and I am occasionally prescribed Prednisone and/or antibiotics for my lungs. None of the prescription drugs agree with me. 😢
I find the claims made by this company (Keto Max Science) to be particularly questionable. How does anyone lose 79 pounds in three weeks and not have loose skin hanging off their body? Do these pills automatically suck up excess skin? Do these pills build muscle? Do these pills make one feel better – physically, mentally, and emotionally? Do these pills lower one’s blood pressure or strengthen one’s heart? Do these pills lower cholesterol or blood sugar? Do these pills improve one’s lung function? Do these, or any diet pills actually make, or help, anyone lose weight?
It would seem unrealistic to think there is a pill out there that provides any of the benefits of physical activity and a reasonable, nutritious diet. The market is flooded with diet pills so they must sell. But do they work?
Just wondering. Take care and have a great rest of your day!
I am so excited today! Molly and I went for a 2.5 km walk this morning and she crushed it! She walked all the way to the park (the long way) and just strutted along like a champ. She even got a thumbs up from the ex dog sitter enroute.
Then… we got to the park and one of her favourite crew members was working beside the path and a family was walking towards us. I led Molly off the path to walk along the tree line and she just trotted along beside me. The family smiled at her and the maintenance woman said she was doing GREAT. It was so fantastic!
We did it! Molly and I. I am just so proud. I did invest some money in harnesses – and finally a training harness, a clicker, and LOTS of treats. And I have gotten tips from Dan, and my sister Lorraine, and the ex dog sitter, and the lady I met at the dumpster yesterday who watches Caesar Millan You Tube videos, and Donna with Myles from Mexico. And I have gotten a lot of encouragement from too many people to mention. And it was all appreciated! But, it was Molly and I who put in the work and it all came together today. I am not about to slack off on my vigilance or claim to have totally ‘tamed the beast’ but todaywas a win!
Molly, celebrating with a well deserved nap.💞
Getting to this point with Molly has not been the easiest thing I have ever done and nobody would ever mistake me for a professional BIG dog trainer. (Or a small one for that matter). Molly has lived up to the Pyrenees reputation. She is STUBBORN, independent, powerful, intimidating, loud, relentless, and can be more than a bit obnoxious. At (almost) six months, she is still very much a puppy. She has landed me on the ground twice on our walks. She has jumped up on me, scratched me, and scraped me with her razor sharp baby teeth. I have pulled some UGLY litter out of her mouth (a very flat, dehydrated, roadkill squirrel yesterday 🤢). She has lunged at other people and barked at other dogs. And.. she leaks a little when Dan comes home or Genie stops by for a visit. Easy does not describe her.
BUT… Molly is so intelligent and affectionate and gorgeous and beyond entertaining. She challenges me and she inspires me. She keeps me on track for getting fit and staying fit which is huge for me right now. I just want do much to be worthy of this amazing dog. She has so much potential in the right hands.
Way to go, Molly! 💞
That is it for today. Take care and have a great day! 💞🌞
Seclusion 101 with AnneMarie 