***The Senior WW Challenge*** - TUESDAY 12/20

Man this cold has really gotten a hold on me. I took Mucinex last night and at least didn't cough during the night but at 4 this morning the cough started back up. One good thing is I don't have much appetite so when we went for pizza - again! - I had the tiniest piece possible and that was all. Today will go to Debbie's and she is providing lunch. Sharon you would know the place she's getting it from, the Spotted Cow. Their Italian beef. Then tonight dinner is Mexican but with my lack of appetite I'll probably get an appetizer and that's all. I hate feeling like this but just making the best of it.

Don't you hate it Jane when you spend that kind of money at the vet and don't really get an answer? But at least you know it's not something major going on with Kelcy.

Hope everyone has a good day.

Good Morning!

Sandy, I hope you feel better so you can enjoy the holidays and your family without the annoyance of a cold!

Sharon: I hope your shuffleboard skills take you to the top today!

Brownie was up and waiting this morning, but is not eating much hay. He is relishing his grain, but that's not enough. I'm trying not to worry. We are going to be away so much, but our tenants will do all they can for him.

QOTD:

Do you use a pedometer or Fit bit?
If you do use one, what are the features you like or dislike about your device?
How do you wear it?

This is a very self serving question. I have been without a Fitbit for a long time and I need it to motivate me back to exercising. I can't believe I've gotten away from exercise!!!! I need to buy a new device but there are so many choices I don't know which device to get. I want it to be easy and secure to wear and to use.

Weight is down a bit today. I have been very good about food. I'm serious about no weight gain over the holidays. Now, if I throw exercise back in there, maybe I could lose a bit more!

We have many errands today and will do them together. I need new boots for my cross country skis and we need to food shop for DH's photography club party tomorrow night. I'm also accuulating food for our ski trip.

Have a good day everyone.

Ann

Good morning
Sandy...thanks for the start and hope you start feeling better so that you can enjoy your family.
Sharon.....have fun at shuffleboard.
Ann...I have a fitbit charge but have not paid much attention to it lately especially with my back being out.

My plan is to get thru the Holidays and make sure my back gets better before I start any workout programs which is my walking dvd's. I don't plan on walking outside with all the icy roads etc. I was surprised last night when I went to TOPS their parking lot was not very well sanded and even the restaurant we went to. I was scared I'd fall down.
Today I need to pay some bills and do some filing.

It's up to 15 degrees outside but there is no wind and the sun is out. My DH and my DS#2 are outside moving the large pieces of wood left behind by the power line trimmers last week. We have plenty of firewood right now but it will come in handy eventually. I don't know what we would do with our DS coming to help with these heavier chores. DH, will doing better, is still struggling with feeling more like himself since his cancer treatments completed over 1-1/2 years ago. I've noticed that he seems better when we've been more active but then a few days later he seems more exhausted and irritable. He needs to learn how to pace himself better and not rest up doing almost nothing for several days after being too active. Steady as she (or he, in this case) as (s)he goes!!!

I have a Fitbit Charge HR and I really like it. I like that it syncs to the WW's app on my smartphone, too. But I'm not all that excited about the Smart Points app. Maybe that's because I'm not totally dedicating myself to using it regularly. I must say that the Fitbit keeps me aware of my activity and I'm averaging over 65K steps per week, although many of those steps are not considered aerobic.

Ann, I'm sorry about Brownie. I know from experience how difficult it is when one the sheep goes downhill. Ironically, our first ram was from an old ewe Bill brought home from the orchard he worked at during the summers. He taught in Philadelphia and an older woman that bowled in a league I was part of owned this orchard. It turned out the ewe he brought home was with lamb although we did not know it until she gave birth in our meadow. Sadly, she died a few days afterwards. We bottle fed the ram and kept him and then added ewe lambs from a sheep farm not far from us.

Marlo---Jeff doesn't come for another month.

We started the day with me cleaning two puddles. Now I don't know why the vet can't find what is wrong with Kelcy but this is not something he ever did before except the one time he had a bacterial infection. I haven't heard about the blood work results. I took him out at midnight and took his water away and was up about 7:15.

The oncologist is out of town so we saw a P A and she lowered Don's chemo from 10 a week to 7. His counts have dropped dramatically in two weeks. When this happened before they took him off the chemo and we went on a cruise and his counts got so low he was in the hospital> She is emailing the Dr. the results. We were told to see the Dr. in two weeks and that day is full so we got the only appointment available in 16 days instead of 14. I am so stressed between Don, Kelcy and the ghost ants. This is twice in 11 years that we have had them and the first time it took a couple of trips from the bug guy to get rid of them. Since he was just here last week and no sign of them then I am thinking this will take a while to get rid of them. They are so tiny and very fast. I was on hold with Subaru and Starlink forever yesterday so after the oncologist I went to the dealer. Well they are watching you so no sooner had I parked and a salesman came out. I told him the problem and he got in the car and did everything I had done and no success. He told me to take it over to the service dept. So I did and the guy who came up to check me in--well he was young and I told him the problem and handed him my phone and within 3 minutes he had it all working. Thanked him and did my free car wash and headed for home. You just need to find a young person and just like that they solve a problem that two phone calls and 3 older people were unable to fix after spending two hours trying! Love technology


Hope those of you ailing are soon feeling better and hope Brownie continues to get better.

I am planning to clean the dining room today so need to get to it.

AOTD I have a fitbit--don't know which one but it is worn on my wrist. I wear it all the time except when in the shower. The watch part is looked at more than the step part. I just have over 2000 so far. I had over 6000 yesterday. I preferred my pedometers but couldn't get the battery part to work right in the last one so switched to this. Frankly it is a waste of money for me since I only use the steps and watch and nothing else. I need to charge it about every 10 days. I have a little slip over piece that keeps it from coming apart and falling off my wrist. That was on amazon with the fit bits and comes 12 pieces in a package but they are several sizes and several colors. So if you are buying a fitbit wrist I recommend you buy that, too. It says DigiHero 12 pieces on the package. My fitbit has never come off my wrist accidentally.

Ann, so glad Brownie is feeling better. Good questions for today even if self-serving. I am curious about what others have to say. And good work with the weight. You’ll be getting lots of exercise with your cross-country skiing.

AOTD (today): I use a Fitbit Charge HR. I like knowing my heart rate, sleeping habits (big wake-up call!), steps and floors. I wear it on my wrist. If I had more money I would buy an Apple Watch because it looks really cool and is easy to hook up with my Apple devices. I might just get one in the future.

What are you putting in the shadow boxes Karen E?

KC, we don’t spring back to health at our age, do we? I noticed that it takes a long time after anything for me to feel like myself. Be it a cold or surgery, I have become a much slower healer. I have never recovered my balance since I sprained my leg, but work on it all the time. Hoping your DH does learn how to pace himself and that he is feeling better soon.

It’s interesting to read about everyone’s weather. It is now in the high 20’s here, and is supposed to reach a high of 33. Warmer weather is on its way.

I came home with a new pair of skiis and ski boots. My old skis are 20 years old. DH checked my skis after I fell in love with a pair of ski boots that wouldn't fit on my skis. The laminate is coming off the old skis and my ski boots, well, they are old and raggedy. The two guys helping us were giggling, I think. Anyway, I'm outfitted and hopefully these sill last me a long time. The boots are remarkably comfortable and insulated!

We went out for lunch, an Indian buffet. DH and I RARELY go out for breakfast or lunch. We save our food dollars for dining out in the evening. We had Indian buffet at Monsoon in Acton (for Gail's info) and it was good. We have a few leftovers from last night's dinner so we'll have a light supper.

We did some light grocery shopping and made the best of our errands. We chatted and split lists, enjoyed our lunch, a nice day.

Brownie is still up and very alert , but does not seem to be eating much hay, still loves his grain, though!

Karen C. I remember that you raised sheep. We are winding down. Brownie is our last "working" ram so this may very well be our last lambing year. I am glad we are transitioning slowly to another place we love, but I will ALWAYS be a farm girl. DH and I noticed that when we had to pick between two places that needed us to be there, we chose the farm. It is its own little haven. It sounds like your DH is slowly adjusting. I've watched many friends help their spouses through health issues. This aging business requires a lot of respect for the dignity of one's spouse. You sound like a very supportive spouse, DIL, etc.

Jane: Poor you and poor Kelsy. I'm sure Kelsy isn't happy about the puddles either. He has his dignity, too!

Gail: Good to have a day at home once in awhile. I relish them, even when most of the day is spent organizing, cleaning and tossing.

Marlo: You SHOULD go to the party and I'm glad your family is insisting that you attend the Christmas Eve party with them. The cat won't care if you leave him/her alone!

I need to do some mail sorting, laundry folding, etc.

Ann