I'll Do Whatever It Takes

     I thought yesterday was going to turn out a complete wash but with a bit of determination and the use of the internet, I was able to turn it around to a small success.

     A friend gave us a lawn mower that he now has no use for. It's fairly new but I'll be damned if I could get it started. I was ready to give it up and take it in for repairs. Another $100 that I didn't have but the lawn was in desperate need of mowing. I asked my neighbour about repairmen in the area and told him what was going on. He suggested a few things I could try and I decided to give it my best.

Don't Make It Complicated

     I had to go into town for shopping and a dental appointment and I ran into an old friend. We go back almost 30 years but we don't get to see each other very often anymore. I know I should make more of an effort to stay in contact but like everyone else, my life is quite busy and so is hers. We sat on the tailgate of the van and talked for about an hour. It was a good visit and it was great to catch up.

     Yesterday on messenger she contacted me again. She proceeded to tell me how great I was looking and wanted to know what I was doing. I told her about my exercise plan and healthy eating. Her answer to me, "I should be doing that too but it's all so hard. I really don't know how to get started." I realized at that moment there are probably a lot of people out there who just don't know how to get started. They want more in their life but where do they begin? A word of advice, "Don't make it complicated."

Week 4 Workout results

    Week 4 didn't go as well as expected but I did manage to drop 2-1/2 pounds. Unfortunately, I gained back another pound because of traveling. I haven't mastered how to order when you have to eat in restaurants or roadside stands. The little town of Spanish is in the middle of nowhere so any time you have a doctor's appointment you have to travel 1 - 2 hours. Then if you include wait times once you arrive and shopping because you're in the city, you're usually gone for a minimum of six hours. This week we had appointments two days in a row in two different cities. It does play havoc with your exercise routine and your healthy diet. But, today I'm back at it.

My First Blessing Of The Day

     I heard from an old friend yesterday and it was a wonderful surprise. My first blessing of the day.

     L and I go back to 1991 when I had first started dating Michael. It was her wedding. She was so excited, she was marrying the man of her dreams or so she thought. Over the years I learned that L was always in a state of excitement. It was part of her nature. When she wasn't excited about something she fell into severe depressions. There was never any in-between times for her.

Week 3 Workout Results

     I'm not sure yet whether I'm happy about this week's results or not. I finally broke my record and made it to 10k in less than an hour. I gave myself a pat on the back for that one. But, my weight has gone up instead of down. I've worked so hard this week and I do see results but I really wish that number had gone down.

A Busy Summer Ahead

Sauble River, Massey, Ontario, Canada
by: JP Croke ~ 2018

     What a glorious day out there. I need to find some time today to just go out and enjoy it. I sometimes get so wrapped up in the projects I'm working on that I don't take the time to go out and savour the beauty of what's happening around me. It's a beautiful world we live in and time in nature is never wasted time.

I Don't Sugar Coat Shit

     Well, apparently I'm pissing off a few people on social media. It never occurred to me that someone would find my posts offensive, not that I really care anyway. Most people that know me also know I'm pretty straightforward. I'm not one to sugar coat anything. I don't try to go out of my way to insult or offend others but I guess I have. Will I apologize for it? Hell no.

     When I post to my social media page, I do it for my enjoyment. It is my page. The quotes I post are for me. I use them to pick up my spirits when I'm down. I use them to help keep me motivated when I don't want to exercise. I use them to keep me focused when building my website is driving me crazy. If they help others for the same reason, excellent. But, I didn't post them to hurt or offend anyone else.

Week 2 Workout Results

Weight - 166 lbs

Date	Heart	Cal	Time	Km	Weight
May 03	140	291	31m	5.69
May 04	145↑	298↑	32m↑	5.78↑
May 05	Off →
May 06	Off →
May 07	144↓	323↑	36m↑	6.19↑	164.2↓
May 08	147↑	357↑	39m↑	6.92↑	163.2↓
May 09	145↓	364↑	40m↑	7.00↑	164.0↑

Heart rate average 144.2

Total calories burned 1633

Total time spent 178 minutes

Total kilometers 30.86 km

Weight loss 2 lbs

Planning For Your Retirement

     The last few days have been uneventful. Living in this sleepy little town doesn't give you much in the way of entertainment or excitement. My brain at the moment is stuck in park and I'm not sure if I actually have anything to write about today. Finding things to keep you busy my dear friends is one of the drawbacks of being retired. I am so thankful I have hobbies to turn to.

     When I decided to retire I really hadn't planned it all out. All I could focus on was not having to go to my humdrum job anymore. It didn't take me long before I figured out I would need something to keep me occupied. I had always had a love for knitting and sewing but I still needed more to round out my day. You can only do so much knitting before even that gets boring. I needed more. I craved more. I found myself stagnating and on my way into depression. Not a nice place to be.

It's Another Rainy Day

     It looks like it's going to be another gloriously lazy day. The rain is coming down so hard I can hardly see the house across the road. The sump pump goes off every 30 minutes and has the cats totally freaked out. They keep running down to the basement to investigate the noise. On days like this, I am so grateful to be retired.

      Today is the perfect day to start a new project. I finished a men's scarf last night and I just love the look of it. Today I think I'll start one for the ladies. I may put a split in this one so it can be pulled through to be used as an infinity scarf. The biggest challenge is always the color. I love heathers and moss colors. All the naturals and I don't have much of that left now. Maybe today I'll put in an order to Herrschners and resupply my inventory. It's been a while and it's not like it will go to waste.

Back At It Again

     Well, I've been off any form of strenuous activity since Monday but today I'm back at it. It was a bit of a downer not being able to exercise after I just started up again. But dental health fits right in there with getting it all together. I put it off way too long and now I'm paying the price. Won't do that again.

Putter Days

     It's raining here today. The perfect day for slow things like reading and maybe a nap later. There's a hush all around me with only the sound of the falling rain. The odd car rumbles past the house on the old dirt road but that just adds to the ambiance of the rain. I love rainy days. A chance to sit back and do absolutely nothing with no guilt.

     I know not everyone is as lucky as I am right at this minute. There are some that still have to get up and go to work or school but me, I'm retired. I can take advantage of these slow times and just sit back and do nothing. I get to choose which days I want to go out and brave the world. Being retired can be a good thing on days like this. I plan on taking full advantage of the whole day by not making any plans. It will be a putter day.

Every Day Is The Weekend

     I've come to learn over the years that you need to learn to go with the flow. Some things you just can't do anything about so you should always have a "Plan B". I started my workouts last week and this week I have had to put them on hold for 48 hours. I had to have some major dental work done yesterday and I was ordered not to do anything strenuous for the next few days. There is absolutely nothing I can do about this except watch what I eat and take it easy. I can get some writing done. I can work on my Ancestry. And I can work on my craft projects; Plan B. Life is to short to worry about the things you can't do but there is always something you can do.