It is Day 149 of my Daily Food Diary and it is shaping up to be another beautiful sunny day in Saskatchewan.
I just got back from a nice walk around the neighborhood with Dan and Molly.
I wanted Dan to take this picture so I could show off my new handy-dandy dog walking fanny pack. I was laughing because Molly was looking at everything except Dan and the camera. She is photogenic but she will not pose. 😂
We are on a great round of visits from the grandkids. Last night it was Prim’s turn. We had monster chicken salads for supper and she finished hers off no problem. After supper, she polished off a bowl of ice cream with fresh fruit. She helped me with dishes 😊…. and we played cribbage. Prim had never played before. I have played a bit but not for at least two years. Fortunately, Grandpa Dan was here to help us with the first couple of rounds.
And yes, Prim WON. At least I got past the skunk line. 🙂
Yesterday, I wrote about my efforts to embody my core values. I have been making a list to use in my daily “I AM” meditation. I don’t expect everyone would agree with the values on my list. I know some of these words could be questionable as values, but they are ‘valuable’ to me. I know some are considered obsolete or a weakness in our society. I don’t. 🙄 I know some would think there are important values missing. I do keep adding to the list and some values are just not my values.
I’m always open to suggestions, if anyone has values to share in the comment section, please do!
Daily Food Diary – Day 149
Breakfast:
(1) c coffee (2)
(1) tsp olive oil (40) (.7 grams)
(2) slices back bacon (100) (1 gram)
(2) potato patties (240)
Snacks:
(72) oz water (it was very hot and dry outside yesterday)
(3/4) c French vanilla ice cream (208) (6.6 grams)
It is 147 Days since I began my Daily Food Diary. That is a full 21 Weeks ! 🎉
Yesterday, Dan went golfing at Katepwa, so having completed Molly’s walk and my aerobic workout I was looking at taking a day off.
Such was not the case when granddaughter Genie pedaled up on her bike. 💖😊💖
An older photo of a bike trek to Grandma’s with sister Maddy.
We headed outside to spend some quality time in the garden. At one point, Molly leapt over the strawberry plant in the corner planter to stay close to her favorite human. 🤦
About three hours later, we came back inside. While we continued our visit, Genie painted a couple of little yard ornaments.
I bought the angel one last year as a tribute to our beloved Kat. Genie touched it up to give it a bit more pop. The frog is the one I picked up at the Dollar Store last week.
Genie stayed until Grandpa got back from golf, then headed home before it got dark.
We had a quick supper and that was a wrap for my day. I forget if I mentioned it in an earlier post, but I have been sleeping like a rock! On multiple days I have been out cold by 8 or 9 pm and sleeping until 5:30 am (which is now Molly’s time to start our day)!
It’s hard to lay around once Molly decides it is time to get up.
Daily Food Diary – Day 147
Breakfast:
(1) coffee (2)
(3) 4″ pancakes (259) (2.4 grams)
(1) tbsp corn oil (120) (2 grams)
(3) sausages (405) (21 grams)
(2) tsp butter (69) (4.7 grams)
(3) tbsp Maple Syrup (165)
Supper:
(48) oz water
(1) cheese tortilla wrap (170) (1.5 grams)
(2) Low sodium Top Dogs (180) (5 grams)
(1.5) oz marble cheese (170) (8.5 grams)
(1) tsp olive oil (40) (.7 grams)
(12) Barbecue chips (135) (.8 grams)
(1/5) Red onion (13)
Total net calories: 1473
Net calorie goal: 1243 – 1473 = 230 over 👎
Total Saturated Fats: 46.5 grams
Saturated fats goal: 13.75 👎
WELL! We won’t be having pancakes and sausages again any time soon. 😵
That’s it for today. Take care and have a great day!
This is my 146th consecutive day since I began posting my Daily Food Diary! 🎉😳
Molly is waiting at the back door for our morning walk so I have to make this one really quick!
I lost some time this morning making pancakes and sausages for breakfast. It isn’t the healthiest breakfast, especially for someone who is working to be mindful of what I am eating. But… I used vegetable oil in and to cook the pancakes in, rather than melted butter. I used one tablespoon of sugar rather than two in the pancake batter. I went very light on the butter on the pancakes I had, and we used Pure Maple Syrup – which is supposedly the least unhealthy option for processed sugar.
Yesterday, we spent much of the day outside working in the yard and garden and enjoying the beautiful weather.
That Tiny Tim Tomato plant looks pretty tiny, but it is double the size it was when I planted it in this grow bag. And the flowers seem to be happy in their new flower bed. This little petunia burst into bloom overnight.
I have to run or Molly might leave without me. I’m pretty sure she could scale our chain link fence if she wanted to. So far we have been lucky that she hasn’t been that motivated.
But she could be – motivated that is!
Daily Food Diary – Day 146
Breakfast:
(1) c coffee (2)
(1) plain paratha (240) (1 gram)
(1) tbsp peanut butter (90) (1 gram)
(1) tbsp raspberry jam (50)
Lunch:
(2) chicken drumsticks (160) (3 grams)
(6) Hint of Lime tortilla chips (150) (1 gram)
Snack:
(1) peach (51)
(20) raspberries (20)
Supper:
(3) oz BBQ pork tenderloin (125) (1.1 grams)
(1) garden salad with lettuce, tomato, green onion, red pepper, radishes, sunflower seeds, olives, dried fried onions, and Vidalia Onion salad dressing (168) (4.2 grams)
Total net calories: 1000
Net calorie goal: 1243 – 1000 = 243under 👍
Total Saturated Fats: 10.3
Saturated fats goal: 13.75 👍
Weekly Avg Roundup :
Saturated fats: 18.6 grams
Sodium: 2639 mg
Processed sugar: 25 grams
That’s it for today. Take care and have a great day! 💖☺️
Yesterday, Rory returned to work up our garden planters. He helped Dan move one of the new planters to the front yard and Dan levelled it and filled it with fresh dirt. I got flowers planted and helped as required.
Altogether, we accomplished a ton of work, which was only made possible with Rory’s welcome assistance.
Garden planters worked up and topped up with fresh dirt. Our new front yard flower bedThe gazebo ready for patio furniture and another (one of many) planters.
This week I hope to get the rest of the garden in, run to Unique Gardens for plants around the pond, pressure wash the patio furniture and get it in place, get the second new front yard planter in place, and get the lawn trimmed and mowed. A lot of the work will fall on Dan – or require his assistance, but it is all doable. 👍
After, we finished up yesterday, I sat down to enjoy my 2nd alcoholic beverage in two days.
First off, I chose an Absolute Ocean Spray cran-Raspberry vodka premixed drink. I cannot eat dried cranberries. I can drink cranberry tea. Apparently, I cannot drink anything (possibly anything alcoholic?) that contains cranberry juice. My abdomen swole up like a beach ball, pushed my hernia out, and the result was excruciating pain. 🤦
Second, I am not now nor have I ever been, a drinker. I grew up in a home that was generally pretty much dry. Dad had a bottle of Rye around. As he got older, he would take one straight shot on cold morning, before heading out to shovel the walks. Other than that he had a dozen beer – which he passed around on Christmas and Easter. Mom had a bottle of wine to serve with dinner – again on Christmas and Easter. There was a bottle of Lemon Gin that someone left behind after a visit. It lived there as long as I can remember.
As a teenager, I went out drinking. In Saskatchewan that meant heading out to the backroads with a case of beer. If I ever drank half a beer, it didn’t stay down long enough to be memorable. (No doubt due to the yeast content which I had no idea was an issue for me back then).
Throughout my first marriage – seventeen years of unholy matrimony, I seldom had a drink. It might have helped, but I was too busy having babies and raising them, to sit around drinking.
Since I met Dan, I have drank more alcohol – not regularly and not much more. If you rounded up every ounce of alcohol that I have drank in my lifetime, you wouldn’t have enough to keep an alcoholic happy through a long weekend.
Funny story (as in peculiar – it wasn’t really funny)… In 2012 I was in the hospital for a solid month with pneumonia and a fully collapsed lung due to empyema which is an infection outside of the lung. The doctors tried to treat it, drain it, and finally sent me to a cardiac specialist who used clot buster treatments to clear it up.
From the emergency room to the specialist, I saw several doctors. Going over my history, they all said that I am a very heavy drinker. It wasn’t a question and every time I said I wasn’t, I am pretty sure they noted that I was in denial on my permanent health record. 🤦
I finally asked one doctor, point blank, why they all thought I drank and he said because the only people who get empyema are the extremely elderly (I was 57) and those who abuse alcohol.
If I had been aware of my severe intolerance to yeast, I may have steered them in a different direction, but that was not the case. 🤔
It is 144 Days since I began posting my Daily Food Diary. 144 Days without one miss! That says a lot for my tenacity – or the amount of free time I have in retirement.
Yesterday was relatively eventful, as our days go.
We had a hearty breakfast and set out for a walk with Molly. Dan’s hips were done after a few blocks, but Molly and I persevered on our own. Other than a couple of dog encounters that set Molly off a bit, it went well. She was on a mission to cruise and to stop and sniff every blade of grass, tree, and sign that we passed. One of these days, I will go head over tea kettle when she makes a sudden stop right in front of me. Fortunately, yesterday was not the day.
When we got home, I did my workout, did my sinus rinse and meds, put away the groceries Dan brought home, and had a short rest before heading outdoors.
Basil to keep flies and mosquitos awayDan planted the rhubarb plant he bought me a few days ago
After minimal effort to help Dan put the covers on our gazebo, I spent a couple of hours transplanting seedlings into planters around the yard. I could have done a few more but we had unexpected (but ALWAYS WELCOME) company arrive.
Molly’s favourite human, granddaughter Genie, stopped by with an elephant and a few lady bugs (for Grandpa & I) and a buffalo ear (for Molly).
I didn’t get a chance to get a pic of the buffalo ear. 😂
Genie was able to stay for a couple of hours so we had a really nice lengthy chat. She played an audio file of her and a friend working on a song that they are co-creating. Genie has always had a nice voice and has always loved to sing. Her and her friend harmonize so perfectly that it is incredible. I cannot wait for them to finish their song so I can share their work here – and they can start attending open mike events around the city so they can share it with live audiences.
We also talked about ongoing health issues – hers and mine. A few weeks ago Genie quit eating yeast to see if it was at the root of a lot of her health issues – as it is with her mother and with me. She has been doing well but realized she wasn’t doing quite well enough, so she decided to avoid processed sugar as well. That did the trick. She is looking and feeling great!
It annoys me no end that it took me well over sixty years to figure out that I was poisoning myself with yeast and processed sugar. (Who knew that I shared my daughter’s allergy to yeast?) But it is heartwarming to see that this discovery led my grandchildren to find their own issues, while young enough to change the course of their entire lives.
Genie with her fiance Alec (who was still at work when Genie came by)
Today marks 142 Days since I began posting my Daily Food Diary.
Today also marks what would have been my Mother’s 107th birthday! There are two things that make time fly by as we age – having grandchildren and losing parents.
Mom with Rory and Genie.
It has been 12 years since Mom passed away and about 20 years since this photo was taken. It never seems possible how many years have passed.
I always knew, but it is only since Mom is gone, that I fully appreciate how hard she worked to provide a home for us. I see posts from young mothers talking about how hard parenting is. My Mother didn’t really talk about it that much. She probably didn’t have time. 🙄
I am the youngest of six siblings, spanning fourteen years. My Mother first had indoor plumbing when I was SIX years old. I remember boiling water to do dishes. I can’t imagine the work involved in filling her wringer washer, processing each load of clothes, and hauling it out to the line to dry. I will never forget the smell of frozen laundry being hauled in during the winter and the sight of Dad’s long johns – stiff as a board and leaning against the sofa to defrost. Our clothes were always clean and fresh. Our socks always matched and much of our clothes and household linens were ironed – every week.
The laundry was only one of multiple herculean tasks that my mother performed on a regular basis. She sewed, knitted, or crocheted much of our clothes and household linens.
Our home was always full of fresh baking and bountiful meals. Always! And come fall, she spent her days canning, pickling, and preserving.
My Mother never stopped at the basic necessities. In the spring I am reminded of her so much. As I am out working in our yard and garden, I remember her huge garden – rows and rows of corn and peas, lettuce, beets, cucumbers, tomatoes and the like. But it didn’t stop there. From the ‘rock garden’ to every nook and cranny and corner of the yard my Mother grew flowers. Gorgeous flowers! And nary a weed to be found.
Our home was ALWAYS clean but on holidays it shone! (And Mother never met a holiday she didn’t love). Obviously Christmas and Easter were the BIG ones, but every birthday, Thanksgiving, and Canada Day was celebrated. I think she may have made up a few holidays just for the opportunity to decorate and celebrate.
I don’t remember my Mother ever being in any particular rush but she had hard work and efficiency down to a science. Even on a shoestring (and that shoestring got pretty thin at times) our house ran like clockwork. And she ran it with classical music playing in the background on our cabinet phonograph. I have no idea how she managed to stow away enough money to buy that phonograph or the racks of records she played, but she got her money’s worth out of it!
Anyway, I know it’s a few years late, but thank you Mom. For everything. I may not have always noticed all you did for us, but I sure appreciate it now. 💞
That’s it for today. Take care and have a great day! ❤️☺️
Happy Birthday, Mom! If you need me I will be out back trying to transplant a pansy without killing it!
*** Funny story – one year I had Genie and her stepsister helping me transplant lettuce seedling (don’t judge – I cannot grow lettuce from seeds). Apparently, I cannot ‘teach’ gardening either. Genie had a perfect little row of lettuce plants. Brook had a perfect little row of lettuce plants deep in the ground – with roots topside up, swaying in the sunshine. 😂
It is 140 Days since I began posting my Daily Food Diary. That is TWENTY solid weeks of mindful eating and accountability! 🥇
It is one year since my daughter and I headed south to Nebraska to celebrate my sister’s birthday.
Happy Birthday, Jeanne – with friends & family
On the way back to Canada, Jen and I spent a day exploring the Black Hills of South Dakota. It was our long anticipated ‘Thelma & Louise’ trip. (Minus the driving off the cliff scene. 😂)
Driving THROUGH the Black Hills of South Dakota
It was an excellent trip all around. We were gone for five days, but we made memories that will last a lifetime.
Yesterday, I did get my x-ray done and the results were posted last night. The only NEW note of interest was some possible issue with the lower left lung.
“mild increase in density in the left lower lung, suggesting a possible atelectasis (collapsed lung) that is slightly more prominent than in a previous image.” I have a follow up appointment with my respiratory specialist, so I’m not going to lose any sleep over it. To be honest, I expect it is residual damage caused by my lung extravaganza of 2023.
On our way home, Dan and I stopped at one greenhouse to pick up a few seedlings – herbs, flowers, and peppers. They did not have the rhubarb plant that I wanted, but in typical Dan fashion, he went on a mission after dropping me off at home to do my aerobic workout. AND – he scored at Canadian Tire. (Also in Dan fashion he got it on sale for half the price that I would have paid at the Home Depot garden center).
Rhubarb Torte in our future. 🤗🙌
Daily Food Diary – Day 140
Breakfast:
(1) c coffee (2)
(2) Eggo classic waffles (180) (1.5 grams)
(2) tsp butter (69) (4.7 grams)
(1) tbsp Maple Syrup (55)
(3) sl. Bacon (130) (3.3 grams)
Snacks:
(24) oz water
(1/2) oz dry roast peanuts (81) (1 gram)
(2) c air popped popcorn – no butter (62) (1 grams)
(1/4) c bbq corn nuts (115) (.5 grams)
(1) pear (103)
(1) peach (51)
Supper:
(1) lg serving of spaghetti with ground turkey meat sauce (no cheese 😢) (628) (2 grams)
(1/2) c broccoli (30)
(1/2) c cauliflower (14)
(2) tsp butter (69) (4.7 grams)
Total net calories: 1243
Net calorie goal: 1411 – 1243 = 168 over 👎
Total saturated fats: 17.8 grams
Saturated fats goal: 13.75
* I totally skimped on the hydration yesterday. I am so waterlogged from this weather, it was just off my radar. 🙄
That is it for today. Take care and have a great day! 😊💕
It has been 138 Days since I began posting my Daily Food Diary! 💃🕺
Yesterday, I blew my nutrition goals again BUT once again, the extra calories were justified.
Yesterday, grandson Rory came over to help clean up our front yard. He did the heavy work of raking up the lawn, but I cleaned up two big flower beds and and I helped him bag all of his hard work. (Several bags!)
Rory, Molly, and I – wrapping up for the day. I love this photo that Dan took. It took time to get Molly onboard but I think it turned out so perfect!
It will be a few days before Rory can come back to work up the garden planters for me. It rained all night and it doesn’t look like we will be seeing any sunshine until next weekend. It is frustrating, but it will be nice to see the city turn fresh and green.
Molly and I took another solo trip around the neighborhood yesterday, after Rory left. The humidity makes it harder for me to walk, but hopefully we can keep getting out there this week.
Dan is here and he is fine, but the cold wet weather is affecting his joints so he has been focussed on working in the garage. I can’t wait for him to finish the new planters he is building. I think I have enough plants to fill them, but that remains to be seen.
It is 137 Days since I began posting my Daily Food Diary. 😁 And it is 1 Day since I finished my latest round of antibiotics and Prednisone! 😃
Yesterday, I failed to meet my goal for net total calories and for saturated fats. There is no excuse for over cheesing the nachos – but I can justify eating the extra nachos. They were VERY good! And.. I burned a lot of calories yesterday, some of which I did not deduct from my calorie intake.
The bulk of those non- deducted calories burnt came from yardwork. I trimmed our front yard and mowed the big half – much bigger, but easier. The grass was marginally shorter than the other side, but I still emptied the grass bag four times into our big green bin. That is the hardest part of mowing because our mower bag is huge and heavy, our green bin is almost as tall as me, and my face is right in the fresh grass (not ideal with grass allergies. 🙄) But I got the one side done before Dan decided I was done. He did the more difficult side. Today, our grandson Rory is coming over to give the yard a good raking. I am excited to see him and excited to have another major project off the books!
Work mode!
After mowing, I took on one more project for the day – which I did deduct calories for. I let Molly take me for a full walk around our neighbourhood ALONE. That was the first time I have ventured out that far with her in TWOYEARS. The first time since the dogpark collision/broken arm incident of 2023. 🙄 I just didn’t totally trust either her or myself to go alone since.
Yesterday, Molly crushed it! She did have to make one quick poop stop, but otherwise she was focused on getting me around the neighborhood and back home. She just cruised right by other dogs, vehicles, lots of people, trees, sign posts, and the like.
And we had one bonus moment… Granddaughter Genie drove past us with her sisters Maddie and Prim. They waved and yelled at us. I waved and yelled back to them. You can’t buy moments like those and nothing can prepare you for them. ☺️
I am so blessed to have my health and my family and my Molly dog. 💞🌞
Daily Food Diary – Day 137
Breakfast:
(1) c coffee (2)
(1) Paratha (240) (1 gram)
(1) tbsp all-natural peanut butter (90) (1 gram)
(1) tbsp jam (50)
Lunch:
(3) oz BBQ chicken breast (53)
(12) Lightly salted ripple chips (130) (.5 grams)
Snacks
(48) oz water
(1) Lemon oatmeal cookie (68) (.6 grams)
Supper:
(2) Lg servings of nachos – tortilla chips, lean ground turkey, orange, pepper, jalapeno , green onions, green olives, shredded cheese, salsa (996) (22.9 grams)
Total net calories: 1369
Net calorie goal: 1243 – 1369 = 126 over 👎
Total saturated fats: 26 grams
Saturated fats goal: 13.75 grams 👎
That’s it for today. Take care & have a great day! 💖😌
It is 135 Days since I started my 365 Day Food Diary! 🎉 I am DONE my entire round of antibiotics and I only have 2 more days of Prednisone! ☺️
With chronic respiratory issues, this has NOT been my first rodeo with antibiotics and Prednisone, but for whatever reason, this has been a rough one.
Yesterday, I was finally feeling pretty good once I got past the high humidity in the morning. I had a great aerobic workout and I got some kitchen deep cleaning done.
My only issue was a serious appetite ALL day. I don’t know if my body needed the calories to recover, if I haven’t been drinking enough water, or if it was the Prednisone talking – but I was HUNGRY all day.
I had a good enough breakfast, and lunch, but supper was over the top. I chopped everything up for the stir fry and Dan came in and offered to cook it. It was amazing. It was dessert worthy amazing!
I blew through both my net calories and saturated fat goals for the day, but there you go. In the past two weeks, I only totally missed one workout, we took a few walks, and I was somewhat productive even on my worst days.
Fall down, get back up, repeat. But the falls get fewer and the get back up comes sooner. It is progress. 👍
Daily Food Diary – Day 135
Breakfast:
(1) c coffee (2)
(1) sausage patties (190) (5 grams)
(2) Classic Eggos (180) (1.5)
(1) tsp butter (34) (2.3 grams)
(1) tbsp Maple Syrup (55)
Lunch:
(48) oz water
(1) BBQ chicken thigh (160) (1 gram)
(1/2) c potato salad (220) (2 grams)
Supper:
(1 1/2) c white rice (363) (.2 grams)
(8) oz stir-fry (pork tenderloin, leek, red onion, mushroom, carrots, celery, cabbage, baby Bok choy, water chestnuts, terriaki-oyster-soya sauce, black pepper, crushed hot peppers). (349) (3.8 grams)
(3/4) c French Vanilla Ice Cream (240) (7.5 grams)
(1) tbsp Chocolate sauce (52) (.1 gram)
(1) Lemon oatmeal cookie (68) (.6 grams)
Total net calories: 1736
Net calorie goal: 1243 – 1736 = 493 over 👎
Total saturated fats: 24 grams
Saturated fats goal: 13.75 grams 👎
That’s it for today! Take care and have a great day! 💞😊
Seclusion 101 with AnneMarie 