Last night was definitely a 4 Quilt and One Large Tuxedo Cat Evening.
Brrrrr.
The January temperatures already dipping below zero.
Hibernation seems eminent.
The bright side to all of this, is that just before the temps bottomed out-it snowed! So it is flash frozen in place. Not going anywhere for a while.
Of course, so am I.
Tuesday I returned to the AFD (Alternating Fast) version of the 5:2 in order to drop the 7 pounds from the holidays. Alternating Day Fast's are (for the record) much easier in the summer when a salad and fresh fruit and lighter eating seems almost preferable. It is much more difficult to do in the winter when your body is crying out for thick stews and chili and soups.
Example: Breakfast
Soft Boiled Egg with Whole Wheat Toast and Coffee
Body: "Great...Now when do we actually EAT?"
~sigh~
Broth and A Salad with Lemon Juice for Lunch...and Lemon Water
Which leaves me 200 calories for the remainder of the day.
50 of which will be taken up with one square of Lindt Orange Dark Chocolate...just because.
So a whopping 150 calories for dinner....
I'm not really bitching, of course. This was entirely self-inflicted. The things I have let pass my lips from November to January were worth the minor inconvenience of a first of the year adjustment. And I can muffle the cravings by reminding them we only have to wait until tomorrow.
It is funny, because usually by the time tomorrow arrives I no longer crave them.
And the Adjustment (Atonement?) will only take a month or two tops.
Best Diet/Lifestyle Change EVER.
Enjoyed a visit by both James and Chris this week. Hard to believe that tomorrow James will be 30 years old!
Happy, Healthy and Still Very Much In Love!
And it is
with three of my grand-daughters in troops this year. There will be Trefoils, Thin Mints and Tagalongs again, soon!
Wayside Gardens has also got a jump on the gardening mag competition this year...arriving with snow on the ground and minus one temperatures.
Garden Porn.
And we gasp appreciatively...and get a pen to circle and dream of Spring...only 70 Days Away
(...per my friend, Gail, in Minnesota who keeps track of this annually...)
Tucker loves the AFD because I have a tendency to feed HIM more on the days I can't have food. One of us should be eating.
My loss (literally) is his gain.
He'll be 15 this year. Still plays like a kitten for short bursts...but (like me) moves much slower, and enjoys our long afternoon nap daily. He is healthy and spends far more time inside, curled up, than out now.
Had the first Out to Lunch Brunch with Loretta, Sharon, Janelle, and Judy this Wednesday. Very nice, but ending in somewhat of a disaster when Sharon stepped off a curb and lost her balance falling forward, where she attempted to break her fall with her arms outstretched...necessitating a immediate trip to the hospital and not one- but 2- broken arms. The left fractured. The right broken in 2 places. Compounded by the fact the Ortho is out of town until Monday. Surgery is indicated and hoping she heals quickly.
The rest of us have or Monthly Mall-Ratting next week. Looking forward to checking out White Sales. Also bringing Sharon back a Cinnabon, as she always looked forward to it when we went.
Finally saw "Passengers" this week
with Jennifer Lawrence (as a blond). Very interesting insight into human behaviourism under unusual and extreme circumstances, and a quite nice love story as well.
Highly recommended!
Also finished reading
The Girl on The Train
which I had been in queue to read since Idgy's visit, and our watching of both movies by the same name.
The book followed the second (female) version much more closely. Hawkin's did a wonderful job of keeping the pertinent to the plot twists and turns hidden and the reader engaged and in suspense to the very end. If you haven't seen the film yet, read this novel first.
You will be glad you did.
Superbly written!
Getting prepared and looking forward to my (virtual) Cuban Adventure beginning Monday!
(...as an aside...my granddaughter, Emma, remarked on my wall of virtual travel posters pointing out London,England and saying "I want to go there, someday" so maybe by sharing the maps, stories, chocolate and recipes, and pictures...someday she, too, will become a Gypsy...like her Grandma Rose...)
More Anon...
