It's Always Some Kind Of Problem

I saw this delightful picture of cats doing Physics equations while the child is adding up legs and hands.  It feels like that some days.

The number on the scale went back to 2 this morning. (expletive)

I cut off all the bad parts of the remaining tomatoes.  Roasted half as a rough pasta sauce and made the rest into Tomato Basil Soup for G.  I also cored the last few red bell peppers and roasted them.

The Vitamix is here and I am using it to make cucumber, lemon, ginger water.  The machine completely changes the items into a pale green water.  No solids.  Tasty when I get the lemon part just right.  And when I remember to toss the foam.  Foam equals ICK.  Entire cucumber (peeled is best), entire half of lemon without peel.  Ginger with peel.  Using the cucumber with peel makes a very green liquid.  Not awful but more bitter than I like.  Or enjoy drinking.  54 ounces.

I don't think cucumber water is enough of a use to justify the cost of the machine.

Drinking that much cucumber water makes me feel woozy, wobbly and needing protein.

I must (MUST the teens at work shout!) join Pinterest so I can find better Vitamix Recipes.

I'm thinking of making the Tortilla Soup.  But I have no corn chips.  The Teens would be horrified.

I am also freezing banana chunks in case I decide to have a Banana Strawberry Smoothie.  The Teens at work say "it's awesome and I will love it".  The Teens are taking me under their wings. I'll be wearing Converse high tops any day now.

I think I will go with the soup (I can hear the Teens cheering).  Making it either the old fashioned way  (BOO!!!) or in the Vitamix.  I saw a tip that said to use hot water to shorten the blending time.  Six minutes of that very loud motor would hurt Riley's ears.  And without corn chips.  I'll add black beans. At the very end.

What a boring few days.

The Internet Kicked Me To The Curb

It was that kind of week.  Friday afternoon I lost the internet and, I guess, the router.  We now have a new one and I am trying to catch up on all I missed in four days.

Fall is here in Maine.  The tree in front of my friend's house (down the street) is a brilliant RED!!! Can't miss it.  Our oaks are dropping leaves but the maples are holding out.  G says it's usually the other way around.  At work we are having the parking lot dug up to install drainage so the store doesn't fill with water when the snow melts.  Let's just say that Thursday was "something else" with cars, trucks, tractors (at least two) and everything else looking for a spot of driveway--all at the same time and employees hoping no one fell into a ditch.

G is back from his visit to his brother's home.  He had a really, really nice time.  I hope he makes it an annual or every couple year thing.  I have email addresses for family members wanting recipes.  That sounds like fun.  Riley and I enjoyed our time together as well and got back to that "special" relationship we had when G was still working.  I love that sweet dog.  And it was good to have G back home.  We both missed him.

The garden is closing itself up.  A few onions, one cabbage, the brussels sprouts and the red onions. G says the raspberries were a bit "moldy" when he went out to pick.  I hope he's wrong.  I also have jalapeños out there.  I'm hoping, if they stay out there longer, they will be hotter than the last batch I picked.

Well, that's all for now.  I need to eat something.  And, in diet news, the first number in my weight has changed from a 2 to a 1.  Made me very happy this morning.  The number I saw flicker by 6 days ago is now here for good.  Slow but sure.  Anyway.  That's what I hope it is.

Oh, and welcome to new Readers (and family) who chose to visit.  300 a day according to Blogger.
Now, if you would all send a comment--you know, to test the new router.  LOL

A New Idea For The Carpenter If He Ever Comes Back

The layout would solve the "problem" of adding a shower to a bathroom that doesn't have a shower, but does have a washer and dryer.  I like the big glass door.  And the open shelving that keeps all the bathroom crap--well, somewhere else.  Two nice stacks of white towels (the only color they should come in) is "just right".  We'll need two sinks.  G says he is using this bathroom if it gets a shower. I was kind of hoping it would be all mine.  Like it is now.

My Vitamix arrived (5 days early).  As usual, all the things I thought I wanted to make in it--well, now that it's here with the recipe books, I can see why I didn't make anything last time.  Anyone reading this have one? Want to share a couple of "beginner" recipes with me? I saw a soup on Food52 that I think could be made in the Vitamix.  Just toss it all (except for cheese) into the thing and let it go for 5 minutes till it's hot.  Then add cheese and a few corn chips.

I need to go shopping if I make a smoothie.  No bananas and no apples.  And I think they put celery in all of them also.  None of that here either.  I could make a kale, cabbage and blueberry smoothie.  Not in the book but it's what I have on hand.  Pin Interest has lots of recipes but I'm not a member.

I also think I have the stuff to make the Tortilla Soup.  Which would be nice, maybe.

I froze the remainder of the pork.  Will be eating the rest of the sauerkraut for dinner.  Didn't get the pot roast in the oven (which was a mistake) and now I have to worry about it's sell or freeze by date.

Walked with Riley this morning and got lost.  I finally asked him to take me home and he did.  Who is walking whom??????  And I need to find out how to set the alarm so I can get up for work tomorrow.

In case anyone cares, I am wearing something I put into the "Medium Box of Clothing" this Spring.  It's an XL Bean fleece--a light one.  And I am reminded of feeling like a sausage in it's casing the last time I tried to wear it.  Today?  Just perfect.  Sort of a citrus lemon lime color.  Good for getting lost in the woods.  A Bean XL can be anything from a size 12 to a size 18.  You just never know.  Yes, dear Readers, in some fashion houses a 12 is very nearly plus size.  Thus--XL.

The two zip front vests in a pretty green and baby blue are also able to be zipped. And worn. Too bad the scale isn't getting the same message as the clothes.  But I'll take what I can get and be happy.

Living

I don't know if this is something I think of as Autumn begins.  Life.  How to live.  How to be happy in one's own skin.  It isn't always easy.  Well, it's not actually easy at all.

When did it become "natural" for humans to "want" so much?  When I watch Father Brown set in the 195o's and people "packed" everything they owned into the tiniest of suitcases.  We pack more to go to work each day.  Well, I do.  Water, cup, coffee, banana, jacket, extra socks, pills, lunch, wallet.

So much stuff.

G is going to visit his brother and I am going to be the dog's companion for a few days.  Riley will be missing his man.  I am moving all library books, catalogs and magazines to high places.  Riley "shreds" when he gets anxious.

I clean.  Today I attacked the orchid table.  Mealy bugs.  I sprayed, washed and sprayed again.  All the leaves, the pots, the sticks, the trays, the table, the window and the windowsills.  I even found mealy bugs on the bottom of the insecticide bottle.  So many bugs.

Then I washed the clothes I had on, the towels and myself.

My rash seems to be getting better.  Zyrtec.  Chamomile soap.  Burt's Bees Hand Salve on my face.
No itching.  No red rash.  No swelling.  Fingers crossed it stays this way.

Pumpkin Time

Either you are buying Pumpkin Lattes from Starbucks or you are drinking Pumpkin Ale.  But not me. I even chatted with a woman in line at Walmart regarding the Libby's boxes of Pumpkin Bread Kits in her cart.  She laughed and admitted it's the only way she can make bread.  If Libby stops making it--well, she hopes they never do.   My grocery doesn't carry the "kits".  Does yours?

My eyes are burning.  That nasty rash is back and it didn't have anything to do with the retail job of last Fall.  There must be something in the air that I just don't get along with.  Rubbing my eyes feels so good---but then it itches 1,000 times more when I stop.  I have been going to bed with a cold wet compress on my eyes.  And my hands tightly clenched.

I bought a package of Zyrtec to try.  The Benadryl wasn't working.

I have MS's Southern Pulled Pork in the oven roasting.  I went to the grocery and the meat looked good so I am cooking meat this week.  A very nice pot roast on Tuesday.  I got everything prepped and in the oven before taking my allergy tablet.  I also have a French Cabbage Soup recipe to try. I ate the last of the Italian Carrot Soup yesterday at work.

It's very humid here in Maine.  No sun.  I am glad I worked yesterday and have today off.

Last night, as I was clicking thru the channels (trying) to find something to watch, I caught the very first 5 minutes of QVC's presentation on the new short Vitamix.  AND it came with the $144 dry blade and jar--free.  So I ordered it.  I chose the brown Espresso unit.  The dry blade and canister means I can grind nuts, grains and anything else into "flour" for use in gluten free recipes.  I can make oil, sugar and salt free peanut butter.  G wants to make 6 minute soups.  The short machine fits under the cabinets.  The one I bought (and returned unused in 30 days) was the tall model, no dry blade and stainless.  It just wasn't the right time for it.

I am going to try the margarita mix with one peeled orange, one peeled lime and one peeled lemon. And I may finally try a smoothie.  And one of the caller said she made the marinara sauce.  And it was so delicious she canned 80 jars of it already.  I am going to try that.

G is enjoying the Blueberry Jam I made for him.  Sigh.  That means he'll eat his way thru the 8 pint jars.  I gave number 9 to a co-worker and she opened it and tried a spoonful and swooned.  She has quite a sweet tooth (like G) and sprinkled two packs of sugar on her slice of birthday pie.  To make it extra sweet.

My son called me for my birthday and I took advantage and talked to him for almost 2 hours.  Thank you sweetie!!!  You sounded so happy--it made me happy.

Today's My Birthday

And I had a fantastic day.  I bought a big triple chocolate cake for my fellow employees and someone sweet tied a birthday balloon to my locker.  My face got tired because of all the smiling.

G and our daughter took me to a Mexican restaurant for a margarita and nachos.  Just what I wanted. We got there just as traffic was getting heavy and when we left people were on the sidewalk with little timers--waiting.  Just right.

On the way home my daughter and I thought about which of the 12 places we've lived-- that we still think about.  I mentioned one house (#11) that I still visit in my memory and walk through the rooms.  My daughter says the people who live there now must think the place is haunted.

It was a nice thing to do.

So, I had a very nice birthday.  G bought me a peach and raspberry pie because he thought a pie was better for my diet than a cake.  Guys!!!

It's Our Anniversary

Forty Six Years.  And people who know us said we'd kill each other sooner rather than later.  Well, we're both still alive and we had dinner together this evening.

Life is such a surprise.  You think you are heading somewhere and then, 46 years later, you realize you went somewhere else (entirely) and...... it turned out to be better than anything you ever thought would happen.  Even the bad parts you never thought you would live through--- well, they led you to the good parts, eventually.  And would we have appreciated the good things if we hadn't suffered the bad things?  I think not.  I miss the people (friends) we left behind or lost completely by moving 12 times.  I would have liked to have had them with me for the entire lifetime.  I would have liked sitting down with them in another 20 years to tell stories and be reminded of the (our) past.

But I have you.  We haven't (all) been together for years and years, but some of you have been along since the 1980's (Marianne), and earlier (my children), but as long as there is Blogger I will be writing and sharing with you.  Telling stories.  Sharing memories.  Laughing.  Crying.  Etc.

And who would have imagined that back in 1968?

A Hiccup In The Road

My PT has ended and my knee and hip pain return.  It's not that the PT was doing anything I could notice.  And I did wear a new pair of shoes to work two days in a row.  And I have been joining the dog on his morning walks (on uneven forest paths).  Add it all together and it's not surprising that I would be having trouble.  I tend to think of this blog as a journal of sorts so I will write this to remind myself.

I have a the link to the 10x10 art show.  There are over 100 entries and mine will be way at the end in the S's.  The sale itself will occur on September 26th.  I am wondering at the way I trimmed my pieces.  Leaving more space on the right than the left.  Oh, and if you click on the images, they appear in another window, much large and clearer.  In the one I can see that there was some additional texture in the painted background fabric to add interest.  Perhaps that was why?  I just don't know. Next year I may do pastels or just go ahead and paint.  I do know how to paint.

The mums and asters are coming in by the cartful as people switch out their annuals for fall mums. The hay and straw bales are piled up.  Could pumpkins  and Halloween be far away???  Christmas hasn't arrived at my workplace yet, but I see it everywhere else.

The September full (super) moon brought freezing temps to the north western part of Maine.  I have already started wearing a sweater and socks-- not everyday, but some of them.  Today, my day off it's cold, I intend to go foraging in the garden for tomatoes and peppers (I think the peppers are done) and pull the red onions.  G was grilling a steak a few days ago and I had him throw a few peppers and the remainder of of oriental eggplant (long thin) on the grill to char.  I had the peppers and eggplant in an omelet for supper.

When did we stop eating meals together?  When I stopped eating what could be called "a meal".

I am trying to continue  drinking the cucumber slices, lemon and mint water but it has NEVER tasted as good as the first batch.  Not cucumber-y enough.  That first cucumber must have been the best one I owned.  I was compelled to drink more and more water with the first batch.  Now I am forcing myself to drink.

I cleaned out the "new" fridge's freezer in anticipation of the loaner fridge going back to Loew's.  Got rid of things that had been in there over a year.  Last summer's blueberries.  I don't have space for this summer's blueberries so I am making blueberry jam with most of the berries I froze. G thinks he might eat it. (might)  My figs haven't ripened and the cooler weather isn't helping.  I might suggest dragging the tree and pot into the sunporch.  But we might lose the figs while dragging the very heavy pot into the house.  I also have more tomatoes to deal with and I have to decide whether I am planting garlic this fall.  I don't use much garlic.  I think it makes people stink.

I have two zucchini which I will be making into fritters.  The last of them.  And I will be slicing cucumbers for the very last of the cucumber and sour cream salads.  I think we have enough of everything to make one final caprese salad with tomatoes, mozzarella and toasted baguette.  A very busy day in the kitchen.  Saturday ends up being an all day cooking day.  Some sort of pasta ends up being our evening meal, depending on what I have from the garden that needs using up--pronto.

And then I need to start closing down the garden.  I still have green beans and October raspberries to look forward to (sans yellow jackets) and the B. sprouts but the rest needs pulling and carting to the compost bin.  Too soon the garden will be covered in snow.

The diet has stalled once again.  My clothes are looser.  I am calling it a "win".

I Never Know Where I Am Going & Top Ten

Even as I select photos for the top of each post.  I think the image I selected has hanging light fixtures I am fond of right now.  I wonder where one finds them?

One...I have to clean up my reading list in the sidebar.  Not what I am interested in right now.
My interests seem to fade.  I really like something and then over time, while I am not paying attention, I find I really don't care anymore for that "thing".  I liked kale for awhile but now that it is growing in my garden, I couldn't care less.

Two...I think I am at the point where I need to decide if I want to keep working full time, go to part time, stop, or find a new job.  I absolutely love my job when I am busy helping customers.  But we don't have as many customers.  And that's the rub.

Three... I followed a co worker's instruction for a Detox drink.  Water, sliced cucumbers, lemons and mint.   Drinking water isn't something I take to easily.  But this stuff is easy to drink for some reason. I have had 64 ounces a day for two days now.  Dropped 1.5 pounds.  Of bloat.  As a rule I don't follow "fads" so this is not typical of my behavior.  And I am amazed that I can drink so much of this, so easily.  The many, many trips to the restroom--  well, it keeps me busy at work. (smile)

Four...Dieting isn't for sissies.  It's difficult and unendingly disappointing.  Sure there are high spots but they are few and far between.  Hard fought for as well.  I have finally after 8 weeks made it to a 12 pound loss (the last 2 pounds due completely to the detox water).  This is good.  But for the sacrifices I am making (not being able to eat any delicious food), it doesn't seem like "enough".  I would be a terrible member of AA.

Five...The September Full Moon brought temps of 57 to Maine and freezing temps to part of north western Maine.  The garden season is coming to a "full stop" I think.  I have a counter full of peppers turning red.  The tomatoes I picked aren't ripening as I had hoped.  I have lots of carrots to pull.
I am not ready for cooler weather yet.  I am not ready to pull on a wool sweater and to never be without heavy socks.  I am just "not ready".

Six... My birthday is in ten days.  I was chatting with two doctors (customers) buying aloe plants. They said 1 teaspoon of aloe sap (the goo) a day fights any bad cells in your body (cancer) and helps you live longer, healthier.   I mentioned my birthday and my hope of reaching 100 years.  We did the math and I have 32 more years if I live to be 100.  One of the doctors said I looked very good for my present age--and to "keep up the good work".  The only thing I could think he noticed was my sparkly eyes and interest in his aloe info.  He slips the daily teaspoon of aloe into a smoothie as the stuff is very bitter and terrible tasting.  He lost me at "smoothie".

Seven....I am roasting red peppers today, grilling the bag of thin oriental eggplant (before they rot) and making yet another batch of zucchini fritters.  Still trying to get it to taste like it did the very first time.  I have enough zucchini in the fridge for two batches of fritters.  Then I will have to move on to another vegetable.  A winter fritter.

Eight... I wore "real shoes" to work yesterday.  Mainly because I could tie them yesterday (let's be honest here).  My feet and ankles (and frequently my knee) have been swollen since May.  And now, finally, my feet are less puffy.  The shoes less tight.  The ankles are still cankles.  The shoes are sort of a cross between walking shoes and shoes. I think you could walk in them but not hiking or power walking.  They are too lightweight. Supportive but I can feel the stones in the walkways at work.  Street walking shoes.  (now I have made myself laugh).

Nine....G is wanting to "go out to eat" today.  I am trying to think of where we could go with something "good to eat" for me.  Going to a restaurant and getting a salad, isn't good enough.  Going to a Mexican restaurant last time and getting a piece of grilled chicken and steamed broccoli--terribly sad.  I would rather just not go and skip the disappointment and sadness.

Ten...My last PT appointment is later this afternoon.  Not much has changed or improved.  I enjoyed the visits and the exercises but my symptoms are exactly as they were before we began.  I still have difficulty going up stairs (down is good).  My knee still hurts occasionally.  I am still having trouble getting up off the couch (knees) and walking after sitting for any period of time.  I have to constantly remind myself to stand straight (upright) as it is more comfortable to tip forward.  The "old people's way of walking".  I may put the peppers in to roast and put on my real walking shoes and go for a walk.  30 minutes or more.  Make a habit of it.

Here I go.

Tomato Jam

At the end of the garden season there are lots of "not so nice" tomatoes being brought into the house.  Not nice enough to slice for Caprese Salad or a tomato sandwich.  But good enough for tomato soup and tomato jam.

I have been roasting the cherry tomatoes for winter sauces ( a sheet pan to hold washed cherry tomatoes, a few gluts of olive oil and roast at 425 until most of the tomatoes have a black or brown roasted look--- then cool and scoop into freezer bags--any extra liquid should be saved to make rice or soup) and I did one roasted tomato/onion, garlic clove batch which became dinner.  But my favorite use for the tomatoes with blemishes, rotten spots and general blah looks is tomato jam.

Tomato Jam
5# of tomato "parts" rough chopped (approximate)
one onion, chopped
½ cup brown sugar
1.5 cups white sugar (use less if feels right to you--it is a jam)
1 teas.  salt
1 teas  ground cinnamon
¼ teas ground cloves
¼ teas ground cumin  (actually use the spices you like in ketchup--add grated ginger if you like it)
½ cup apple cider vinegar (you could also squeeze in a lemon)

Bring to a gentle boil, turn to a simmer and let go on the back burner for about 4 hours.
I pile everything (and don't measure) in my big All Clad 4 quart saucepan.  To the top.
When it cooks down to the bottom quarter of the pan--it's done.  Usually thick, dark and shiny.
This can be water bath canned for 15 minutes (with canning lids  etc) for longer storage.
Trust me on this, the first time you make it you will eat it ALL in a few days.

This is good (excellent) used in any way you used ketchup.  With fries, on a burger etc. Or just on a spoon.  Grilled cheese?

I brought in more green peppers that have 30% or more red on them to ripen (all red) on the kitchen counter.  I packed the red peppers in the freezer into bags and filled the tray again with more red pepper strips.  I like them in a morning frittata for breakfast.

I have decided to solve my freezer storage space dilemma by only having fruits and vegetables in the freezer.  So, I would be buying meat on an as needed basis instead of storing it in the freezer for a couple years and then tossing it.  Best to be honest about what actually happens in the freezer.

I eat all the fruit (other than blueberries) pretty quickly in my yogurt lunches.  Peppers go quickly in chili and frittatas.  The tomatoes get used up faster than I like for pasta sauces and soup.  Frozen rolls of parsley leaves get used up also.

I pretty much eat the zucchini, yellow squash and cucumbers as they are picked.  Those zucchini fritters are my new best friend.  And the frozen ratatouille is delicious and low calorie with exactly 4 ounces of dry measure pasta.  I am doing a very good good of using what I grow.  And what is wasted goes into the compost bucket.

I made some salsa this afternoon with my tomatoes, my onion and my jalapeños.  The jalapeños had no heat.  So that was a disappointment.  Anyone know why that would happen.  The July ones were hot.

G and I finished off the five seasons of Damages last night (after midnight).  Now we have to find something new to watch when regular television is boring.  We have also been watching the tennis, which is being rained out as I type.  Rain is coming to Maine as well.  I have a good book to read by one of my favorite authors Robotham.

Got to turn on some lights.  The sky is darkening.  And I have to check on the tomato jam and give it a stir.  It's very watery today so will need a bit longer on the stove.  Stay dry!!!

Time To Find Recipes Using Cabbage

My cabbages are nice and big.  They need to be picked.  But where to store them?  I got carried away again and planted too many.  Three cabbages are enough when I am the only one eating them.  I think I only planted three but it looks like six.  Good thing they are "keepers" and will still be around after everything else is compost.  One cabbage is reserved for my birthday pot roast dinner.  Cole slaw. With my home grown carrots.  Yum.

Now that all the college and high school kids are gone, we are down to the "nub" with the number of employees working shifts.  Like 3 where there were 8.  I have been doing Floral calls (along with everything else).  I like it.  But won't say so as that is the "kiss of death" to any opportunity to stay there.  Happiness isn't a concept my employer approves of.

Only one more PT appointment.  Nothing is completely better.  Nothing is worse.  I have a series of good exercises to do which I am actually doing.  The foot doctor recommends that I call for an appointment if I "need one" but otherwise it was nice to meet me and goodbye.  I guess I am fine now.  Still tape-ing my toes.  There is some improvement and my knee pain is manageable.  We think the toes and the knee are linked.  It's all in the way I walk. And one hip is still higher than the other no matter how many stretches I do.  So I am "off side".

My diet sucks.  I am doing everything right and I am re-gaining weight.  Yep.  I lost almost 10 pounds and now it is all coming back.  But, and here is the mystery of dieting, part, I am wearing a smaller size that I couldn't fit into before.  My husband says it's all water.  Because it's in the mid to high 80's here in Maine.  I might have to start wearing a ring.  I always knew if I was retaining water by how snug or loose my ring was.

So, all of August was doctors, diet and water retention.

The fridge is still working.  I am reconsidering the items that once were in the fridge.  I threw away a bunch of things in the freezer section that had been there so long, I forgot what they were.  Un- labeled things went.  Things with more frost that food--went.  Last year's blueberries went.  Upstairs in the fridge I am second guessing bottled things we never use, all the flax and almond meal I used to make things that pretended to be bread, and the vast amounts of chocolate.  Why?  I think I thought I would be eating 78% dark chocolate as a low carb snack.  Not!!!!!  Too much caffeine and it tastes bad.  I will try and keep it until December and make bark to give as gifts.

Pretty soon we will have to return the loaner fridge to Lowe's.  I will miss it very much.  I liked having an empty freezer when I had trays of berries to freeze.  When I had trays of peppers to freeze. Which reminds me I have a tray of red pepper strips in there right now which I need to pack into a freezer bag.

I am going to fold the load of laundry I tossed into the dryer before work, go out an fill my garden basket with more tomatoes, peppers and see if the zucchini gods have gifted me with "just one more" zucchini.  Perhaps a few more cucumbers.  There are still October raspberries and the figs to wait for.
It's a small garden but it is bountiful and I try my very best to make use of it all

September Arrives

With an overnight shower.  Not the heavy rain we expected.   And this morning is sunny and very  humid from the rain.   I slept until 9am.  I have been very tired lately.  In body and mind.

The condition of the late summer garden isn't uplifting.  It all looks so tired, weedy and finished. I still have tomatoes, peppers and potatoes to harvest but the plants are reclining, have yellowed leaves.  And my green beans haven't even gotten started yet due to late planting. The chard looks fresh and young.  My carrots are a success for the first time.

I spent Saturday pouring boiling water into a yellow jacket nest in the old, unused compost pile.  The safest way to take care of the hive.  My raspberry canes were full of jackets.  And G got stung.  Five times I think on his hands.  They seem to side step me.  I gave up on the raspberries weeks ago.  I am hoping the October crop of berries will be enough to satisfy my hunger for raspberries.  I gave up picking blueberries.  11 quarts is too many.  Let the birds have the rest.

I used my own onions and carrots to make Italian Carrot Soup.  I had no heavy cream so used the thick cream of a can of TJ"s coconut cream (discarding the water).  The soup now has a slightly sweet taste I just don't care for in an earthy soup.  A disappointment.  I am now wondering whether to eat it (with disappointment) or just compost it all.  The latest batch of zucchini fritters was (is) a disappointment also.  I guess it wasn't a good day for me to be cooking.

Yesterday I cut apart a bunch of ripe tomatoes with bad spots, cracks etc and roasted them in a 300 degree oven for 3 hours with two fresh picked onions, some garlic and rosemary.  I served the roasted mess with pasta.  It was very good.  The alternative was a pot of tomatoes for Tomato Jam.  But then I would have to do the water bath.  I just didn't have it in me.

I wore a pair of size 16 pants I purchased in June of 2013 yesterday.  They stopped fitting at some point before the cold weather arrived.  I wore mostly size 20 pants during the winter and into spring.
It was the high point of my day on Sunday.  The scale shows no movement in weight loss but the fit of my clothing tells quite another story.  So, I will listen to my clothes while the scale tells me I have lost 9.5 pounds (the same thing it has said for 2 weeks) which is still a very good number but not what I had worked for.  I am drinking plenty of water today as I am walking with a friend at 1:30.

That's about all I have to write today.   I have housekeeping chores to do which will keep me busy. I have a second book to read (which will make three books in a row) and a visit to the garden to pick tomatoes.  I have a row of peppers turning bright red on the counter and I need to cut them into strips for the freezer.  I like my peppers red.  Oh, and jalapeños to pick and share with a friend who likes to make "poppers".  G says it is horribly humid outside.

End Of August & Garden Report

The peppers are turning red.  In the house.  I gave up on the sun doing the work and have started cutting green bell peppers that show a bit of color change.  It takes a few days of rotation on the kitchen island, but eventually I have red peppers.  Which I will clean and slice and freeze. I have a few yellow pepper plants and will try and see if I can get them to change color in the house as well.

Which brings me to the news that the fridge is still working 4.5 days after the new fan was installed. I am slowly moving things into the kitchen fridge from the sunporch fridge.  But now I have to face the fact that the 10 quarts of frozen blueberries won't fit in the kitchen freezer section.  And the four quarts of frozen raspberries, and the one quart of frozen jalapeños.  And I have two quarts of the smallish blackberries.  The easiest solution is jam.  But I prefer thawed fruit in my daily yogurt.  Not jam. Not to mention the many containers of frozen ratatouille. And I haven't begun to slice and freeze all the bell peppers.

Today I am using the leeks and carrots in the sunroom fridge to make an Italian Carrot Soup with canned white beans and cream (which I will eat and not freeze).  Well, perhaps not the cream as it went bad in the fridge.  The use by date.  I got used to having a pint on hand during low carb days.  Not so much these days.

I also have two very nice, heavy cabbages to use.  I picked up and older copy of Vegetarian magazine where I discovered a recipe for vegetable stir fry.  I think I may also start doing a stir fry for my dinner.  Onions, peppers, cabbage, carrots with some sort of sauce.  The sauce is the key thing here.  Anyone have a favorite stir fry sauce they might care to share?

I am also doing laundry today.  Two and most likely three loads.  G and I certainly do fill the dirty clothes basket.  He is working one day a week for Habitat building storage sheds.  G also made lots of holes in his work pants.  I think he gets caught on things and just pulls his way off.  Making a nice hole in the pocket or next to a pocket.  Tough areas for mending.

I have two new books from the library.  Romances.  Summer Porch Reading Material.

Well, I am going to start on my carrot soup.  I also want to take a long walk.  Drink lots of water.  See if I can get closer to my goal for the end of week 7.   I am way off but haven't done anything bad according to the food diary so I am confused (and feeling defeated).  I also have more PT exercises to do. Work tomorrow but only a half day.  Tuesday I have another visit with my foot doctor.  I don't see a lot of progress in my toes but it took a long time for them to get this bad.

Happy Labor Day on Monday.

Trying To Find Balance In Weight Loss

The ups and downs of diet this time around--well, I seem to have lost my patience.  But then, I contemplated the past SEVEN YEARS and I did find a pattern.  One that has been there for the entire time, one I noticed, but a pattern I disregarded.

My weight dips to a number that thrills my soul.  Then it goes back up the next day.  I dissolve in doubt and self recrimination.  This is where I fall off the wagon, usually.  This time, due to age and exhaustion, I just sigh "oh, bother!" and keep going.  In a few days, the number reappears and stays put until another unexpected drop in numbers occurs and disappears.  I think it is mostly that I need to be drinking more water.

On more exciting news.  The fan part was installed in the fridge.  Started right up and was still working when I woke up this morning.  We are still feeling insecure.  I have 5 ears of corn, some cut up watermelon and my coffee creamer in there.  I told G we would be transfer things to the "now working" fridge as we used them.  Not a mass exodus from the sunroom loaner.  I still don't have trust that the fridge will keep working.

I ventured into the backyard of my daughter's house, at dusk, to pick blackberries.  Did I tell you this already?  Not the big berries I harvested from my own thicket last summer.  These are the small ones. I may go back tomorrow after work.  I got about a quart of them.  Only two mosquito bites.  I may just have to dress in heavy canvas work pants, long sleeved jacket and boots and try to fight my way into the overgrown mess in my yard to collect the small wild berries.  IF that is all there will be--then that's what I will have to make do with this year.  I had wanted a blackberry pie. Before the diet.
But pie can be a part of a diet if eaten instead of lunch and dinner.

PT continues to go well.  My therapist and I get along like friends who have known each other for years and years.  Isn't it odd how that happens.  Will the friendship continue of end when my therapy ends?  I guess I know the answer to that.

I am working the afternoon shift today.  It's a long afternoon and very boring.  I have an orchid and a pot arriving from our mother ship store.  I have to pot it up for a 60th birthday gift.  I could also take my own orchids in and repot them.  It feels like I should be on vacation.  Sleeping late, reading books, sewing something.  August stuff.

Next month is my birthday.  68.   "oh, bother!"

August Ending & Jar of Pickles

The end of the garden season seems to be fast approaching.  Today I made up a half gallon jar of refrigerator pickles, using the worn scrap of paper on which I scribbled my mother's instructions. Family meals, when I was growing up in Cleveland, consisted of a main dish (usually meat), potatoes in some form, a vegetable (usually canned), a plate of sliced bread (not always from the bakery) and another plate with an offering from the garden. Refrigerator pickles were a favored item.  The pickled beets not as popular (though I loved them) with my brothers.  The portions weren't large but we were all healthy.

The scrap of paper and the smell of the vinegar, sugar salt brine always brings back memories of those years.   My mother gardened with a vengeance.  All insects and diseases were dispatched with products displaying a skull and warning.  When these products were banned my mother stockpiled rusting cans in the garage.  DTD.  Stuff like that.

She also got my father to "pick up" buckets of horse manure from the police horse barns.  Cleveland still had mounted police at that time.  Imagine driving home with open buckets of horse manure in the car.  Ugh!!!  She composted it behind the garage mostly for her roses.

In the summer we were served plates of sliced tomatoes warm from the garden, bowls of steamed green beans, pickled cucumbers and the pickled beets with our pork chop or stewed chicken.  My grandmother (on my father's side) provided us with plum kuchen, apple strudel and an endless array of cabbage based dishes.  Which I LOVED.  She also made the best dumplings.   When the summer garden was closing down my grandmother ground everything in the garden into a pickled chow chow which we didn't like.  Then.  Now I would love it. She also pickled hot banana peppers to eat with rye bread and baked ham.

When I went to stay with my dad while he recovered from pneumonia, I discovered jars and jars of pickled banana peppers in his basement.  Ageless with rusted lids.  Who knows when they were canned.  He ate them.  I did not.  Were they canned by my long dead grandmother?  

These are the thoughts and memories brought to life by a saucepan of pickling brine coming to the boil in the August kitchen.  My pickles (I grew the cucumbers, garlic and dill) won't be ready to eat until tomorrow, but I like looking at the jar on the stove top, cooling.  A connection to two other generations that gardened and served garden grown produce to the ones they loved.

G and I will be having sliced tomatoes tonight--finally my countertop is covered in red tomatoes.  Life is good!

August Perennials

Now is the time of year when the more "shrubby" perennials shine.  The Russian Sages.  The Salvia. The Veronicas.  In this picture we even have a rebloom on the Dianthus, the short stuff at the front of the bed.

I planted my Russian sage two years ago and it has not produced any of the tall blue flower spikes.  It is actually just as big as it was when it went in the ground.  Meaning it isn't planted where it needs to be.  That's the lesson for today.  Now, in that same bed, a tall spiky plant is blooming again even though I have tried to get rid of it over a period of several years.  That plant is where it wants to be and will not be moved.  I don't like it because it is very invasive and will populate the entire bed if I stop digging it up.  I think it's wild blue lobelia.  A very descriptive name.

Today was drop off day for the Arts Are Elementary 10 by 10 art works.  You never got to see the second one.  It got finished very late yesterday and both got names about 5 minutes before I got into the car to drive to the drop off.  I don't like giving things names as I find it limits the viewer to see things "my way" rather than interpret for themselves.  So they both were Garden Bouquet. #1 and #2.  When I was in college studying art--everything was an "artist proof".

The garden is limping along.  We are not having August weather.  The days are in the low 70's and the nights in the 50's.  And it's often overcast or cloudy.  And it rains making the plants all mildewy. That's what has happened to the zucchini.  It is suffering from mildew.  Now that I have a recipe I like (the fritters) the plants have stopped making zucchini.

The cucumbers are still producing as are the green peppers.  I also have cherry and regular tomatoes getting ripe.  My cabbages are looking very plump.  I have kale and chard.  Carrots are coming into the house and going straight into my salads or the fritters.  My pole beans (started late) are just starting to climb the trellis.  I planted them late so I wouldn't have to deal with them at the same time as the tomatoes.  I like my green beans roasted in a hot oven with olive oil and salt.  Fine September food.  I am waiting for the tomatoes on the counter to get nice and soft and then I will be making tomato jam.

I am one pound away from my 5 week goal on weight loss.  I would be happiest if I could exceed  my goal but I will be content just to reach it--such has been the struggle.  Going from the high fat/high calorie routine of low carb to the low calorie diet high in watery vegetables and salads has been difficult.  My zucchini fritters have been a nice refuge.  And the ratatouille is almost a daily choice. With 4 ounces (dry weight) of pasta which I would never been able to eat on no carb.  Physical therapy is making a difference.  My hip and knee feel much better.  The knee especially.  I'm not sure the tape on the toes is doing what it should be doing but have to wait 2 more weeks to see the foot doctor.  The ¼ inch pad stuck on the outside edge if my foot is certainly working.  Taking the pressure off my knee.

I am busy today, as I am every Saturday, in trying to process all the produce from the garden into meal or package it into freezer bags.  I am wondering if I have enough time and carrots to make the Italian carrot soup I love?  Or do I want to make a stir fry using the one cabbage I have already harvested?  Stir fries are always so beautiful. And I do enjoy all the chopping, slicing etc. Onion, carrot, cabbage and peppers with some garlic and ginger.  Perhaps a jalapeño.  Over brown rice. Sounds promising.

Hours are being cut at work.  People are being laid off.  College kids are going back to school and others are searching for and finding new jobs.  Parting is such sweet sorrow.  I think it's hardest to be the one left behind.

This Blog & Garden Report & Recipes

This blog has actually been (and still is) an open journal of what I do (or don't do) over a period of days.  I tried to blog each day but my life doesn't lend itself to interesting daily posts (laughing). Not that what I do produce is all that interesting, but it's me, and since I can't talk about other people, I am limited to me.

I have had a reader email to report that her comments are returned to her.  I had wondered why I don't get any comments.  This could be why. Up to now I thought I was just talking to empty air and everyone had stopped reading.  I am going to see what I can do about my comment section.  Not that I know much about how this blog actually works and you can always email me directly.

Today is clean out the fridge day.  This loaner fridge is just like my old fridge (which I disliked) because once stuff is stuffed inside--it is very hard to find unless you get down on your knees and dig around.  Things get pushed to the back and linger there until they get "soupy". UGH!!!

I have gotten a few bags of veg out of the fridge and now need to go digging to see if there is more. I have zucchini shredded to make fritters (recipe at end of post) which turned out to be quite tasty warm and even more to my liking straight from the fridge.  My guests ate them with a yogurt lemon garlic sauce and liked that very much.  I also pulled out all the cucumbers I could find but I think there is a second bag in there with larger cucumbers (that recipe also at the end).  I also found another eggplant so I plan to throw together another pot of ratatouille and freeze it.  I did harvest one long thin lavender eggplant from the garden.  Looks gorgeous.  I finally have tomatoes.  Not as many as usual in August but enough to enjoy on a daily basis.

My diet continues to work with bumps in the road caused by "eating out" so I have made an announcement to G that I will no longer be eating out--a large salad does not interest me in a restaurant. Never as fresh as it should be. It just isn't in my best interest right now, at the beginning, to eat out.  I think it's the salt content of the food.  Not that I don't heavily salt my food, I do, but they must really oversalt in restaurants.

In the spirit of positive thinking, I went upstairs and got a few things out of the size 16 box.  Summer pants only.  A few of them fit and others were still snug.  Gives me incentive.  It's also nice to have something different to wear.  The clothing is mostly from the "retail employer" and I can see why most were only 20 cents.  Same size, same style and completely different fit.  Too big, too small, too long, too short.  Across the board.  So, this week I will be wearing sizes 18 and sizes 16 and both will fit exactly the same.  Which is the right one?  Who knows.

I am completely out of hangers for the closet.  And in related news, I am wearing the same three or four clothing items over and over.  Which means I don't actually need the other things.

Physical Therapy is going well.  I need to find a small ball shaped object for one of the exercises.  PT used a balloon.  Now I wish Riley liked to chase balls.

Here's the Fritter Recipe

Shred one pound (less or more) of zucchini (don't peel), lightly salt and let drain in a colander for an hour (or so) Grate one onion (tastes best with a good amount of onion), ½ cup fresh dill (I used dry), 4 T fresh chopped parsley, ½ cup grated cheese (feta is suggested- I used dry cheddar and some grated Parm), 2 eggs, 1 cup flour, salt and pepper.  I think you could add any herb combo you wanted or like using to this recipe.  Since the recipe is Turkish I think mint would be nice.

I skipped the added salt and just seasoned with pepper.  Squeeze out any water from the zucchini and mix everything together.  I added a shredded carrot to my mixture and you could add chives or green onion also.  Scoop out enough to make a 4 inch round patty (I just scooped the mix right into the pan and then flattened it out into a patty shape).  Easy as the mixture is thick. Fry in olive oil until dark and crispy.  Serve hot, warm or cold.  The sauce I made was ½ cup plain Greek yogurt, mashed garlic clove and lemon juice to make a nice smooth sauce.  Made around 16 patties.  I served three people and had 4 leftover for my lunch.  I think you could make these in the Fall with shredded sweet potato or butternut squash, a carrot and even a shredded gold potato.  Longer cooking time to get crisp but I think they would be very good.

Cucumber Recipe

Thinly slice as many peeled cucumbers as you have.  Salt and let drain in colander.  Mix sour cream (as much as needed for amount of cucumbers) I use about ½ to ¾ cup.  I add one or two packets of Splenda and 2 to 4 T of cider vinegar.  I mix the sauce and taste until it is as sweet, tart and yummy as I like it to be.  Then I fold in the drained cucumber slices and a generous 1 or 2T dry dill.  I serve this with grilled Italian sausages and fried potatoes and onions.  It would also be good with the fritters. I often eat this alone as a cold breakfast or lunch.

Ratatouille  Recipe (from Martha Stewart--google it an see pictures of finished dish).

I cut one pound of eggplant, one pound of zucchini/summer squash into cubes about an inch in size.  I chop  two large onions up and sauté it with garlic and cut up two green or colored bell peppers and soften in olive oil in a large oven safe pot.  When the onion and peppers are soft, I add the cubed eggplant and squash.  The recipe wants you to roast a 28 ounce can of tomatoes (on a sheet pan and NOT in the can) in the oven for 50 minutes to dry out and thicken.  Then you add everything and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes--till cooked but not mushy.  Seasoning is salt and pepper and marjoram leaves.   Eat with pasta, as a side to grilled meats, with an egg on top or in a wrap.  I also mix some black beans or chickpeas into a bowl of ratatouille for more protein.  Parmesan cheese on top is pretty nice.

I use double of every vegetable to make a really big pot of this.

Still Waiting For Tomatoes

Another blogger here in Maine (soulemama) is already roasting pans of tomatoes for the freezer.  We, here at my house, north of that location, have had two or three plates of tomato caprese and little more. I don't think I could fill even a small tray with tomatoes to roast.  So I wait.

I am hoping for another 20 or so Sungold cherry tomatoes for a quick pasta sauce today.  That would make me happy enough to skip lunch and just have a big dinner.  Skipping meals is something I don't take lightly.  Makes Joanne a very crabby girl.

Work is still dreadfully slow but my visit (after physical therapy) to TJ Maxx made me realize that no retail store is actually busy right now, even though my "retail employer" of last year has it's busiest month in August (tourists).   I brought in more popsicles and some microwave popcorn to raise the spirits of my co-workers.  And alcohol wipes to clean off the dry eraser boards.

Physical therapy is going to last four weeks.  We are working on my left hip and right knee.  My therapist said it would be "so much" easier if both concerns were on the same side.  But they are not.  I am still taping my toes.  I still get flashes of nerve tingling in the ball of that foot.  Not painful but nerve "tingling" always feels strange.

Refrigerator News.   The Whirlpool guys, *two*, showed up, thawed all the ice around the valve and installed the new three way valve.  The fridge part started right up and they said "fixed" and packed up and left.  G called the next morning to say "not fixed" and the guys said "we didn't think that would work but Whirlpool wouldn't approve us doing anything else".  They also were not approved (by Whirlpool Corp) to return and do any further work.  Period.

 We then switched to the extended warranty service number (run by Sears) and a guy (who actually knew how to run digital diagnostic on the fridge using the door panel display), went thru all the gadgets and connections and guess what?  It was the fan.   I got it right weeks ago.  The sad news--it'll be  almost 2 weeks before the genius guy and the new fan can come back here.  We will then be very close to TWO MONTHS with a broken fridge.  Thank goodness for the Lowes loaner fridge.

I just want to mention how very UNHELPFUL the Whirpool people have been.  In Maine.  In Michigan.  In Tennessee.  Long waits on the phone.  If you are shopping for an appliance, don't buy one of theirs.

Meanwhile a guy from India keeps calling to warn us about some "trouble" with our Windows laptop (we don't have one) which he can "fix" if we just give him our secret code numbers.  I tell him I am calling the police and he hangs up but then calls back the next day.  I think we get these calls because we still have a landline.

The cable company was here to replace a whole bunch of cables, the router connection and a few other things that were corroded.  My computer now runs pretty good and Netflix looks like it did in the past (it lost all it's bells and whistles a few months ago probably due to the bad cabling from the street to the house, under the house, and in the walls.  This is the second time we have had to have major cables replaced.  Like every 10 years.  Hopefully I won't have to sit here swearing at the computer--which makes posting an unpleasant task-- in the next little while.

Turnips & The Garden Report

I collected a bag of turnips in the fridge over a period of a week or two.  Yesterday, the second of my days off this weekend, I decided to wash, tip and tail and quarter the turnips and roast them.  Now I have a low calorie snack or addition to a salad or frittata.  Or even a vegetable soup.  Aren't they pretty?  I love the lavender shoulders.

I also pulled four carrots from the garden just to see how things were going.  A gorgeous purple carrot (orange on the inside) which is just stunning.  I am thinking of using it as a model for a watercolor.  Then I will eat it.  I love carrots in a salad.  So much so, that I even turn a bit "orange".

This morning I am feeling groggy.  And I am sneezing and my skin itches.  Not the best of days so far.   This morning I washed and cut open a colander full of very nice jalapeño peppers.  I wore gloves.  The cleaned halves are now in the freezer.  When frozen solid I will pack them in bags for future salsas and guacamole.  There are many many more in the garden to eat fresh.  And about 50 green bell peppers.

I now have 6 (overfilled) quarts of frozen blueberries and many more not packed up.  Too many.  I was going to order more bare root blueberry bushes for next year--but I don't think that's a good idea.  I have two and a half quarts of raspberries in the freezer as well.  No blackberries yet.  I am wondering if I will get any this year.  My friend Patty has lots of grapes which she will share with me.  And our two year old fig tree is loaded (the branches are hanging low) with big figs.  I need 24 for a recipe for fig preserves which makes 6 jars.  G counted over 30 figs.  We are waiting for them to be golden.  Still green.

I never had enough rhubarb to freeze for winter pies.  I have 6 plants but they are just not robust enough to pull from.  More manure.  More fertilizer.  I like growing fruit and I love rhubarb.

I removed more damaged leaves from the tomato plants.  The Early Girls have very few leaves left but many tomatoes waiting to ripen.  I hope.  The Sun Gold cherries still have leaves (I started them myself from seeds) as do the Siberians and the Cherokee Purples.  The plants I got from work are the ones showing the most disease.  The squash plants are taking a breather so I don't have any to harvest. The cucumbers are also slowing down-- but I am not ready for them to stop just yet.  So, It's fertilizer time.  I am waiting for the tops of the potato plants in the tubs to die back.  I wonder how many potatoes I got this year?

I found a few Fava bean pods.  My twenty plants still have flowers on them and are slow to make pods.  I think I like Fava beans.  At this rate I may never know if that's actually true.

My fennel didn't make bulbs.  Just fronds.  And hopefully fennel seeds which is what I want.  I have to get them before the birds.

A few of my cabbages have nice firm heads.  No bugs.  No worms.  So that is nice.  I have to watch the weather and cut the heads before we have a heavy rain (which cracks the heads open).  The Brussels sprouts haven't started making fat little sprouts yet.  The kale looks very good where I can see it--the cabbages are crowding everything out.  My recently seeded chard is looking very nice.  I plan to use it for a filling for tortelloni like we had in Germany.   Tortelloni Alle Erbette.  Chard and ricotta cheese filled pasta squares in a butter/wine sauce that was so good we licked the plates.  A girl can dream about recreating the dish.

Which reminds me of the creamed vegetable "soup of the day" in Germany.  The carrots and turnips would be nice is something like that.  I need to find my German cookbook.

I am going to make potstickers for G today--for the freezer.  So a double batch.  Instead of driving to Portland to buy them at Trader Joe's.  I will take advantage of the empty freezer on the porch to freeze trays of dumplings and then bag them up.  Chicken I think, unless he wants pork. I am having ratatouille with pasta (4 ounces) for my dinner or a very large salad.

How is your garden growing?

Evening View From the Dolphin Restaurant in Harpswell, Maine

The sun was setting.  We were drinking.  Then eating.  What's not to love about that?  Well, the Red Sox won.  That night.  G and I started with a huge serving of mussels.  I could eat them once a week and be very happy but the best mussels were from Back Street in Brunswick before they went out of business.

Today I went to the grocery to get two eggplant so I could make another huge batch of ratatouille with the zucchini and peppers from the garden for my low calorie dinners.  I had so many squash to use up that I made zucchini brownies (with Splenda for me), a chocolate zucchini loaf for G, and next up is a batch of Turkish zucchini fritters which are full of cheese and fresh herbs.  The herbs are from the garden as well.  I promised myself I would try very hard to use what I grow in the garden this year.

I am quite proud of my bell peppers.  The addition of sulfur to the soil when I transplanted my seedlings to the garden has done wonders.  The walls of the peppers are thick and they taste so good. I have many, many green peppers on the plants but I try and wait for them to turn red before picking them.  I also have some golden yellow bells and jalapeños.

We are harvesting a few red tomatoes each week.  They are Early Girl Bush which I started transplanting in late April and with the addition (another experiment of mine) of iron in the planting soil along with Epsom salts (magnesium) the tomatoes taste wonderful.  Some years they are rather bland.  Not 2014!.  We have had them sliced (these are big tomatoes) with fresh mozzarella and fresh picked basil leaves. Simply dressed with good olive oil, Balsamic vinegar and salt and pepper.  I also serve some crusty bread warm from the oven to sop up the juices.  There are plenty of green tomatoes still out there so August and September are looking delicious.

On the cucumber side of the garden, I have very few pickling cucumbers and quite a few of the long burpless ones which is turning out to be okay with me as I usually just slice them and mix with sour cream and dill.  I may skip the pickling ones from now on unless I can find Kirby seeds.

My toes are still taped and feeling much better.  I have not signed up for my physical therapy to strengthen my left leg which is weak but I will call on Monday and set something up.  I threw away several pairs of shoes.  I check to see if my ankles and feet rotate to the outside edges and if they do--I get rid of the shoes.

The diet is going along.  I am having some difficulty finding things to eat (that I want to eat) and that are not low carb/high calorie.  I took to low carb like a duck to water but gained weight (eventually) instead of losing because I believed that "eat all you want" advice.  Do not eat all you want.  You have to still count calories on low carb.  It's 2500 instead of 1200 but it's not a lot of food either way.  I am alternating between 600 to 800 calories every other day and 1200 to 1500 on the other days.  It seems to be working.   Chewing gum helps.  And it also helps that my pants are already feeling looser.  Loose clothing is my biggest motivator.

I am trolling for new books to read.  Any suggestions?  I have Dan Brown's Inferno on my table and I haven't started it yet.  I was also thinking of reading Wolf Hall again as I really enjoyed it. Both are books I purchased at the book sale so I don't have a deadline for getting them read.

We are watching the fourth season of Damages on Netflix and still have House of Cards to look forward to.  G has been watching Orange is the New Black but I have not.  I am still miffed to have missed watching the last 2 episodes of the Americans.  And Netflix only has season one on DVD.  I may have to buy Hulu or Amazon (whomever has it) to watch season one.  Buy, watch and cancel. I wish a family member had a membership and would lend me their pass code number, but no luck.