January 15th – Day 14 of My 2026 Daily Activity Journal

Today is Thursday and I am still on target for my respiratory care goals for this week.  I have been struggling a bit, but I have been completing my aerobic and treadmill workouts and I have been getting outside for a bit of fresh air.

This afternoon, I spent the better part of an hour outside with Molly.   Our temperature is around the thawing point, which is nice enough for January in Saskatchewan, but the wind was rough.

The ice on the sidewalk is from the past few days of freeze/thaw temperatures.
The front and back patios are packed snow.

My mission outside today was to test the traction cleats that Dan bought for my boots a few weeks ago. I want to get back to walks with Dan and Molly but our streets and walks are daunting without some help.

These things are amazing!  I did not slip at all on the solid ice and on the packed snow they were just as  great.  I always had concerns that the cleats would bite into the ice and snow and I would faceplant then and there.  It’s not like that at all.  It is just like walking on a rough surface.

I walked around different areas in our yard – stepping up to the backyard and down to the sideyard.  I went out the gate to our front walk that slopes down to the city sidewalk and along the sidewalk.  Even with the strong wind hitting me, I felt solid, safe and confident.

My only regret is that I was not open to trying them a lot sooner.  🤦‍♀️

I can’t wait to go hiking some of the city parks.  We have several beautiful parks in the city, but they have been difficult to enjoy when I was always concerned about staying upright.

That’s it for today.  Take care and have a great rest of your day! 😁💞

January 14th – Day 13 of My 2026 Daily Activity Journal

Today it is four weeks since I had my hernia repair done.  Incision discomfort has been minor, even in the early days.  Now the incision is barely visible much less notable.

My respiratory issues that were aggravated during the procedure are gradually improving.  I have been increasingly active –  doing my daily aerobic and treadmill workouts (increasing duaration and intensity), getting fresh air, getting adequate sleep.   And, as usual.. staying on top of my typical health routines – inhalers, lung clearing, sinus flush, deep breathing, vitamins (B12, D3, Lutein) and collagen supplements.

I am truly fortunate to be retired and have the time I needed for this recovery.   I am also truly fortunate to have a caring husband  who has been with me and been  an active participant in my recovery.

And of course,  the best in all of this is that my surgery, long anticipated, is now BEHIND ME! My hernia repair has been done successfully and no doubt permanently, AND I am ready to go out shopping for some real jeans and fitted dress pants. 👖

My ray of sunshine for the day. 🌞

Today, it is one month until I complete the first four years of my Health and Wellness Journey!

I am ready to move forward.  Success and setbacks will both be a part of this journey.  Chronic lung issues will play a part in how far I will go and how I will get there.   But,  I  move forward with hope,  faith, excitement and  anticipation. 😉

I choose to believe in magic wherever I go!

Daily Food Diary – Day 365 Of 365

Today is DAY 365 of my Daily Food Diary!  One FULL year of mindful eating, mindful living, and daily progress in my Health and Wellness Journey. 🤩

Today is New Year’s Day. 🎊 In  lieu of posting my Daily WINS, I decided to share memorable moments from 2025.

January 1st, 2025 – Committing to maintaining and posting My Daily Food Diary
February – Embracing the Good Life
March – Signs of an early spring that didn’t happen….
April – Our bedding plants are ready to grace our flower beds.
May – Cooking from scratch – no yeast, no additives!
June – A trip north to spend a week with son Dan & Family 
July – Celebrating  Alec & Genie  becoming husband & wife
August – A short trip to Gravelbourg to visit Mom and Dad – gone but not forgotten.
September – Helping daughter Jen strip down her Jeep and enjoying the Health and Fitness that allowed me to do so!
October – putting miles on our treadmill.
November – Grateful for all of the benefits of collagen supplements.  Strong nails were not my goal, but they were a notable and welcome sign that the collagen was working for me.
December – Celebrating Christmas hosted by the newly weds,  following my hernia surgery and a short but delightful visit from son Dan and family.

Yesterday, I was back in holiday mode so I took another pass on counting every calorie – but I did remain mindful of what I ate.  Breakfast was crumpets with butter and jam.  Tea and Christmas Cake were my afternoon snack.   For supper I enjoyed Arby’s roast beef with fries and gravy. And.. I rang in midnight with a couple of chocolates and a large glass of  water. 🥛

2025 is a wrap.  While I will no longer be posting my Daily Food Diary, I will be staying mindful of what I eat – and I will keep working to improve my diet going forward.

And, I will be back with my 2026 Daily Activity Journal!

HAPPY NEW YEAR! 🎉🎈🎊

Daily Food Diary – Day 356 of 365

Today is Day 356 of my Daily Food Diary. 💝 Just nine more days – 2025 and  my Daily Food Diary will be a wrap!

I do plan to continue daily posting – focusing on calories used rather than consumed.  It will be a bit challenging until I am fully healed, but that is coming along nicely. By the end of 2026 I will be mentally, physically, and emotionally stronger than ever – and it will be reflected in my Daily Fitness Blog.

My wins of the day since yesterday’s posting:

1) Making desert with son Dan.  It was a bit of a production but a great bonding experience and just a good time all around.

2) Chinese food for supper from the Unicorn Restaurant.  I love their food, they have a variety of gluten free dishes for Amanda, and cleaning up was minimal.

3) Having Jen and her girls (and Sasha the dog) come for desert and an evening of visiting. For those of us that come together, it is  nice to be past the years of drama – to be able to spend an evening together and be comfortable in the process. 

The bonus win was the deserts we shared – the one Dan and I made, the ones Dan and Amanda brought, and the ones I made.

My Daily Food Diary win for the day:

Being able to focus on eliminating food allergies and intolerances not just for myself but for everyone in the family,  when we get together.  With a little planning and communication, we accommodate as necessary!

Daily Food Diary – Day 356

Breakfast:

(1) c coffee (2)

(1) paratha (240)

(1) tbsp jam (50)

(1) tbsp peanut butter (105)

Snacks:

(1) gin and tonic (130)

(1) pc butterscotch pudding desert (174)

Supper:

(1) dry rib (52)

(1) wonton soup (50)

(1/2) serving ginger beef (256)

(1/2) c rice (121)

(1/2) c chow mein (125)

(2) fried wontons (167)

(1/2) serving curry (125)

Total consumed calories: 1738

Total used calories: 0

Total net calories: 1738

Net calories goal: 1208 – 1738 = 530 over

That’s it for today. Take care and have a great day! 🤗💞

Daily Food Diary – Day 325 of 365

Today is Day 325 of my Daily Food Diary.  🥳

It is hard to believe that 2026 is only 40 days away, compared to the 325 that have passed by this year. 

Last night’s supper probably wouldn’t set any records for nutritional standards but it was amazing.  When Dan and I both worked we would often get takeout, eat out, or pick up something pre-made from our Safeway down the street.  One of my favorites was the  Safeway seafood dip – a concoction of cream cheese, crab, seafood sauce, shredded cheddar, with a sprinkling of green onions, green pepper, and tomato. Shortly before I retired, Safeway became Freshco and they no longer carried our seafood dip.   I gradually forgot about it, but yesterday afternoon my memory was jogged. Dan set out on a mission to one of the very few Safeway stores left in the city.  He returned with the seafood dip and a package of Tostitos Dippers.  Usually stepping back into time to enjoy a particular meal ends in  disappointment.  That was not the case last night!  It is not something that will make it’s way onto our regular meal rotation, but definitely worth it for the rare or occasional treat.

Today, I joined Dan and Molly on their morning walk.  There were still frosty (slippery)  patches along the way, so I soon decided that I was not comfortable holding onto a 100+ pound dog who zigs and zags, stops and pulls, along the way.   Dan took her leash.  But, I did have wins along the way.   My coughing fits were few and far between – far enough that Dan stopped a few times to look back to see if I was still with them. 😁

I am not there yet, but I can actually imagine a time when this miserable cough will be a thing of the past. 🤗

Daily Food Diary – Day 325

Breakfast:

(1) c coffee (2)

(3) crumpets (240)

(2) tsp butter (69)

(1) tbsp jam (50)

Lunch:

(1) c no salt beef broth (16)

(6) Hint of Lime chips (150)

Snacks:

(1) tbsp raw local honey (40)

(2) Belgium chocolate cookies (107)

Supper:

(125) g Tostitos Dippers (650)

(2 1/2) servings seafood crab dip (375)

Total consumed calories: 1699

Total used calories: 308

(30) min walking (137)

(30) min aerobics (171)

Total net calories: 1391

Net calories goal: 1208 – 1391 = 183 over 👎

That’s it for today.  Take care and have a great day!

Daily Food Diary – Day 309 of 365

This is Day 309 of my Daily Food Diary! 🙌

This entire week seems to be more challenging than most. 

On Monday, Dan went indoor golfing.    Molly and I stayed home to host a full grown sparrow who swept into our house.  It took THREE hours but Molly finally herded it out the back door.

Tuesday, Dan and I went shopping.  That wasn’t particularly challenging, but a change of scenery and my typical daily routine.

Yesterday, I picked-up granddaughter Prim  at lunch time and took her to a dental appointment later in the afternoon.  All went well enough, but she was given a serious amount of freezing for one small cavity.  Poor kid looked rough coming out of the dentist’s office.

Today, things were supposed to get back to normal!  But, after daughter Jen left for work,  her daughter  Prim decided to go back to bed for a quick nap.  🤦 When the school called Jen to report her MIA, Jen called us to go check on her and get her to school.  So Dan and I headed over.  On the way there, Dan saw what looked like a person (big person) laying half on a sidewalk/half on the street.  It was on a side street that we don’t take and there was fairly steady traffic going past him.  We went straight to Jen’s house, got Prim to school, and Dan detoured to the side street to check on the other situation on our way back.

The guy was still there, looking like he hadn’t moved.  Dan dove past him a couple of times and stopped beside him.   There was no sign of life, and no response when Dan called to ask if he needed help.    I called 911 to ask if they could have someone to check on him.  They sent an ambulance and a fire department paramedic vehicle right away.   We waited there until they arrived  – mostly because he was half a block from Prim’s school and we were concerned that some kid could happen along.   When the paramedics did arrive, one of them called the guy and tried to shake him.  He sat up (fairly quickly, but a bit befuddled).  We got out of there and headed home.  Hopefully, the guy is ok and the paramedics were able to get him safely on his way to somewhere. 🤷

The rest of my day should get back on track.  I’m about to have lunch, then do time on the treadmill, followed by a round of weights – followed by finally spending some time getting our kitchen cupboards in order.

Daily Food Diary – Day 309

Breakfast:

(1) c coffee(2)

(1/4) c milk (28)

(1) c Cheerios (200)

Lunch:

(2) crumpets (160)

(1) tsp butter (34)

(1) tsp jam (50)

Snacks:

(48) oz water

(3) chocolate treats (120)

(1) tbsp honey (40)

(12) Doritos (155)

Supper:

(3) oz ham (109)

(2/3) c scalloped potatoes (150)

(1) c brussel sprouts (56)

(1) tsp butter (34)

Total calories consumed: 1306

Total Calories Used: 384

(30) min walking (137)

(30) min aerobics (174)

(30) min light weights (73)

Total net calories: 922

Net calories goal: 1306 – 922 = 286 under 👍

That’s it for today.  Take care and have a good day! 😊❣️

Gravelbourg graveyard – this isn’t my parent’s grave but I have always loved this sculpture. This is a very picturesque graveyard in general and extremely well maintained.

Daily Food Diary – Day 270 of 365

Today is Day 270 of my Daily Food Diary. 💓

Today is also Sunday and I am looking forward to a good one!

The only plans I have for this morning are to do the breakfast dishes, do my nails, and do some reading. 

This afternoon, Genie is supposed to drop in to pick up her share of the Smoked Beans I made yesterday and a piece of the Amaretto cheesecake that was just coming out of the oven when she was here on Friday.

When Dan goes to pick up Maddy from work, he is dropping her off and picking up Prim and their dog Sasha.  They will be with us until tomorrow morning when I bring them home. 

Prim at Genie & Alec’s wedding.. (Alec in the background)

Prim is looking to do some cooking/baking with Grandma to kick off her home economics classes. 👍

I have nothing on the agenda for workouts today, but may take a walk to a couple of nearby stores with Prim after she gets here.

Daily Food Diary – Day 270

Breakfast:

(1) c coffee (2)

(1) c Cheerios (147)

(1/4) c milk (28)

Lunch:

(1/2) c chicken broth (5)

(1/2) Serv. Chocolate/coconut Brownies (74)

(1/2) Serv. Butterscotch Walnut Brownies (150)

Supper:

(1 1/2) Serv Smoked Beans w/lean ground beef, bacon, onion, brown beans, kidney beans, ketchup, brown sugar, liquid smoke (928)

(1) sm. pc. Amaretto/chocolate/skorr cheesecake (200)

Total consumed calories: 1553

Total used calories:  471

(30) min. walking (53)

(30) min. Aerobics (176)

(1) hr. food prep/cooking/clean up (111)

(30) min. treadmill (59)

Total Net Calories: 1062

Net calories goal: 1229 – 1062 = 168 under 👍

That’s it for today.  Take care and have a great day! 💖☺️

Daily Food Diary – Day 254 of 365

Today is Day 254 of my 2025 Daily Food Diary! 💓 I have (so far) been successful in putting out my daily post. 👍 I have been enjoying recapping my days in this manner and I have been successful in making some beneficial changes to my diet.

For the reasons above, I have decided to maintain this project through 2026 – with one slight change….

Rather than tracking my calories consumed each day, I am going to track my calories used.

I feel that I am ready for this move and I am excited to explore new ways and means to keep active.   AND I am excited to share my conquests with all of the regular and occasional visitors to my blog.

Getting down to the core health issues that have plagued my entire life and discovering ways to deal with them and improve my fitness level and quality of life has been an amazing adventure for me. 

I know it has been less than exciting, and more than a bit painful, for those who have been following me for the past +3 years. 

I get that, and I appreciate it.  But the wins I make are not made in the grand gestures or the  five star days.  They are an accumulation of all of the moments, the choices, the bits and pieces of knowledge that I pick up along the way.

It’s not fireworks and shooting stars – but from where I was three years ago to where I am now, I think it’s pretty impressive. 😁

Two family weddings – only 4 years but a lifetime apart. 💞

Daily Food Diary – Day 254

Breakfast:

(1) c coffee (2)

(1) Denver breakfast wrap (560)

Lunch:

(1) BBQ chicken drumstick (135)

(6) Hint of Lime tortilla chips (150)

Snacks:

(1/4) c mixed nuts (180)

(3/4) c Maple Walnut Ice Cream (225)

(2) tbsp chocolate sauce (105)

(48) ox water

Supper:

(1 1/2) serving Baked French Onion Soup (552)

Total consumed calories:  1909

Total used calories: 419

(30) minutes walking (53)

(30) minutes cooking (56)

(1) hour gardening (176)

(1) hour house cleaning (135)

Total net calories: 1490

Net calories goal: 1229 – 1490  = 261 over

That’s it for today.  Take care and have a great day! 💞☺️

“Where you look for magic, you will find it!”

Daily Food Diary – Day 252 of 365

Today is Day 252 of my Daily Food Diary! 🤗

I am still on my road to recovery from my latest lung infection.  I saw my Respirologist for a follow up this morning.  He is super happy with my x-rays and blood tests. 👍

I feel my biggest issue now is my ongoing environmental allergies this summer.  After seeing Dr. M, I went to Old Fashioned Foods and picked up a couple of natural allergy remedies that they recommended.  Here is hoping they make a significant improvement in that department.

Molly and I went back to Jen’s yesterday.  Molly had a great time with her dog Sasha,  checking out their big back yard.  I helped Jen strip more parts off of her Jeep to make it as quick and easy for her fiance and their mechanic to drop in her new motor and transmission.  I can’t wait for it to be all done complete with  the new paint job and roll bars. 

These last two afternoons with Jen have been a LOT of fun.  It is amazing to see her work on this and demonstrate the analytical and organizational skills that I did not notice, much less appreciate, in my Mother growing up. 

When Jen drove Molly and I home, she swung by to pick up granddaughter Maddy from her school.  When she dropped us off, she got out to help me get Molly into the yard.  Maddy jumped at the opportunity to get into the driver’s seat.  I am so impressed  at how determined she is to practice her driving skills and ace her test next spring.   I didn’t think it would be something she would be so eager to embrace.  (Apparently, she is not a Grandma’s Girl in that department.)

Yesterday, we took off the front bumper and winch,  the front grille, and lights...
And the radiator, battery, and air conditioner
After I left, Jen took off the air filter, clutch fan, multiple hoses, etc.  Everything is set aside in neat piles and every bolt that could not stay with a part is bagged and labeled. 👍

Today is son Dan’s birthday.  I did text him earlier but I am waiting to hear from him before I call.   This has been a busy summer for him between work, boating, and camping so I’m never sure when it is best to get hold of him.

Dan and Amanda – always busy. 💞

Daily Food Diary – Day 252

Breakfast:

(1) c coffee (2)

(26) light sugar Mini Wheats (190)

(1/4) c 2% milk (28)

Snacks:

(1/2) c Campbell’s beef broth (5)

(12) Doritos (153)

(48) oz water

Supper:

(1) 355ml can Pepsi (150)

(1) Dairy Queen single flame thrower burger – no bun (600)

(1) small onion rings (200)

(1) small fries (90)

(1) reg. Gravy (90)

(2) chicken strips (240)

Total consumed calories: 1748

Total used calories: 296

(1) hour gardening (176)

(30) minutes house cleaning (67)

(30) minutes walking (53)

Total Net Calories: 1452

Net calorie goal: 1229 – 1452  = 223 over 👎

That’s it for today.  Take care and have a great day! 💕😊

Daily Food Diary – Day 247 of 365

Today is Day 247 of my Daily Food Diary! 😊

Today is the third day of my latest round of antibiotics and oral steroids for my latest battle of lung infection

Yesterday I did pretty well, but the drugs were definitely kicking in. 

I started the day with a bout of antibiotic nausea.  The antibiotics that I am on are disagreeable little beggars, but my doctor likes them and he does have to switch them into the rotation on occasion so I don’t get too resistant to any particular type.

By the time that settled down,the Prednisone kicked in and I started getting shaky and anxious.  Not fun, but I managed to pull myself together and Dan took me to the x-ray clinic and blood lab to deal with that funness.   Neither was bad.  There was a bit of a wait at the x-ray clinic, but it was quick and simple once the technician called me in.  There was no wait at the blood lab.  It amazes me how painlessly those technicians draw blood.  I never felt a thing and never bled a drop. (I may have been dry after the five vials I donated).

Once we returned home, the Prednisone zoomies kicked in and I was able to do my aerobics (for the first time in days), scrub down the bathroom and hall (including fixtures,  walls, floors and everything in my path), and make supper (with Dan).

Aside from doing the official meds, I have been doing pretty well at sticking to a nutritious diet for the past couple of days.  That homemade chicken soup made from homemade stewing hen broth just feels so healing. 

I haven’t had a fever for two days so hopefully I am truly on the mend!

Daily Food Diary – Day 247

Breakfast:

(1) c coffee (2)

(3) Blueberry Eggo Waffles (270)

(2) tsp butter (68)

(3) Slices bacon (130)

(1 1/2) tsp syrup (78)

Lunch:

(1/2) c homemade chicken broth (27)

(1) peach (58)

(1) c raspberries (64)

(60) oz water

Supper:

(3) c homemade chicken noodle soup (480)

(1) Large cheese biscuit (258)

Total calories consumed: 1436

Total calories used: 366

(30) min. aerobics (176)

(1) hr housecleaning (135)

(30) min. cooking/food prep (56)

Total net calories: 1070

Net calories goal: 1229 – 1070 = 159 under 👍

That’s it for today.  Take care and have a great day! ❤️☺️