Tag: accomplishment

Wednesday Diet Wisdom: Early Bird Exercise Experience

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Brand new morning 🌄

This morning I was up at 5:15am.

I planned on going to a 5:45am strength-training class at the Recreation center I’d recently joined.

When I got there I was surprised to see how many overweight, obese and over-50 ladies there were there. Not all were fat, however. Some looked great, and a few were younger than the rest.

I was thrilled there was a good turn-out so early in the morning.

But, I was frustrated with the look of the space. It seemed crowded.

I was not wearing a mask, and neither was anyone else!

Instead of jumping into the strength class, I got on a parallel elliptical machine to tighten my thighs, and then I rode a stationary bike that had a video game on it.

That was pretty cool.

I have an online membership included in my gym package and I have free weights at home.

Back home I did some stretching with the video to loosen up my shoulders and back.

It’s important to warm up before you exercise too.

Before I left for the gym this morning I made a cold caffeinated beverage. Ice cubes, oatmilk and a shot of espresso from my Nespresso machine.

It didn’t burn my tongue like the usual hot coffee I make every morning, but I didn’t think it tasted all that great.

I will start weight-training at home today.

As for my weightloss journey, I an thrilled to say I am close to no longer being categorized as obese.

Since I started in May I have dropped 12 lbs. I hope to drop another 12 pounds by mid-August .

Then I will no longer be classified as obese!

I look forward to the time when I will not be in the overweight category either.

I want to be able to be in the normal weight range again and dress up in cute retro-outfits like this.

Slim and trim goals

But, it all takes patience and time to make it to your goals.

And I always track my calories on my Samsung Health app.

Tracking my calories on my cracked smartphone as usual

P.S. All diet advice by me is my opinion and does not reflect on any professional advice. Lose weight at your own risk.

We did OK with No Mow May!

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Plants and weeds run riot

So we decided to do No Mow May, a movement to help pollinators as they come out of hibernation.

Our intentions were good. Nevertheless, there are rules in town. By the latter part of May we wound up mowing our front lawn to avoid a fine.

The backyard is a different story.

Yesterday we started cutting the grass in the backyard

I could hardly believe how quickly grass grows!

The grass and weeds seemed to take over at such a pace! It was wild!

The rabbits, squirrels and chipmunks just loved it!

When grass grows too long it is quite a chore to try and cut it down.

Using grass as mulch for the apple trees

We will continue to trim our backyard grass and weeds.

We do not spray our plants or lawn with pesticides nor do we harm the ecological environment with noxious chemicals to keep the bugs at bay.

It was good to do No Mow May for a couple of reasons.

We gave the pollinators a break so they could enjoy the long grasses, and we didn’t mow the backyard for a month!

I’ve seen some bumble bees in our garden.

That’s another good sign that we did OK with No Mow May!

P.S. We saw a hummingbird bird in our backyard for the 1st time. Even though we don’t put out hummingbird feeders we have flowers for them!

Weekend Workers

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Automaton worker, New Ulm Glockenspiel outside my radio station where I work

I am a weekend worker.

Professional radio announcer Amy Zents

Casual dress is OK when you don’t see anyone else but the radio DJ who worked a shift before you.

Today I am at my radio station doing my Sunday afternoon shift at knuj.net.

https://knuj.net/2022/05/29/music-from-germany-may-29/

I would probably not come out on a nice day if I didn’t love my work.

Yesterday I worked from 130pm until 7pm.

It was girl’s softball on the FM all afternoon yesterday.

As I wheeled into the downtown area where my station is located on a glorious Saturday afternoon, I thought of the many storeclerks, volunteers and other workers who had to be indoors on such a spectacular day.

My boss would call it a Play Hooky Day.

Cheers to all the weekend workers again! You are all amazing! 👏

Daily Verse and Chorus

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There are over a hundred daily videos that my eclectic folk duo, Molly and Sonny Boy, made 2 years ago, shortly before the Covid pandemic.

We posted them nightly on YouTube.

We called it our Daily Verse and Chorus Project.

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLM1Sv8w3nV6MJ_f8dZpN0nEAnwxc_–Se

I still view them now and then to catch a glimpse of our sweet dogs Cole and Pixie who sometimes appear in them.

Pixie and Cole

I still feel so much sadness over their deaths.

Happily, they both each lived to be about 17! Pixie, the Pomeranian lived to be 16 years and 8 months and Cole the Poodle, lived to be 17 years and one month.

I wish they were still alive. Their lives were too short in my books, even though in dog years, they would each be over 100!

At Cafe Lena

In 2013, we fulfilled a lifelong dream of my husband’s, to perform at Cafe Lena in Saratoga Springs, NY.

https://www.caffelena.org/

Now that hubby is retired, we continue to practice daily, dreaming of stardom, or at least steady gigs!

The most used app on my phone is the Voice app, so we can record inventive guitar riffs and pin down lyrics for new songs.

We like to write songs, and we have an album out already of all original songs you can check out on Apple music.

https://music.apple.com/us/artist/molly-and-sonny-boy/259940366

A Tantalizing World

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Fresh delicious Apple Pie

Everywhere we look, people look for happiness.

They seek it online and in person. They are full of dissatisfaction.

They can’t get very much done because they are distracted.

Life is meant to be fun.

Life is meant to be enjoyed.

Here is a story I never heard of before, but it is the origin of the word tantalize.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tantalus

If you ever feel like you are missing out on all the fun, you are not alone.

Most people feel that way and that’s why many seek temptations and escape from the drudge of work.

Nevertheless, if you want to be a better person, the key is to plan your work and work your plan. The joys are hidden behind and in between your efforts in the daily service of others.

Yet, you need to also take time for yourself and live with balance and gratitude.