Who Does He Think He Is??????

This morning, while upstairs making my bed, I heard my doorbell ring so I went downstairs to answer it and no one was there. I stood there at the open door and looked but no one appeared and I shut the door and walked towards my kitchen. This was all happening at about 9 a.m. and as I headed into the kitchen my back door started to open and a man was cautiously coming in saying hello - I got to the door and realized it was the AC repairman and I asked him if the door had been unlocked. He told me that it wasn't and that my landlord, Tom, had used his key to unlock the door. He then told me that Tom had knocked and rung the doorbell - but - I was upstairs so I didn't hear the knock.

This is not the first time Tom has done something like this - he has actually gone into other tenants places while they were upstairs sleeping and fixed whatever and then left and the tenant hasn't realized he's been there until after they come down later in the morning. I've had it. I'm going to call him and talk to him about how unappropriate it is for him to do this - my car was in its parking place and he could have called me on his cell to alert me. I am also going to buy two strong chains for my front and back door so this won't happen again.

I know I have a strong sense of privacy and boundaries but he just stepped way over them!!!!

He's having a new stove delivered for me this afternoon so I will wait until it is installed before I confront him! Thanks for listening.

A Visit to DC

I went to DC last January where two of my daughters live and one day my youngest daughter, April, took me to see the National Botanical Gardens and the National Gallery. I had never been to the Botanical Garden and just fell in love with it. The next time you're in DC make sure you go!

The shot of the Lilies of the Valley isn't that great - but they are my favorite flower and they don't grow here in S.C.

These orchids made me laugh - I can remember when women wore huge corsages of these on mother's day - my Mom never has liked corsages and would have killed us all if we ever gave her one of those back in the day! If I'm wearing a corsage it will always be gardenias.

Have to include one of these - thought the cloud looked really fake!

My dear daughter - I'm trying to resist saying "my baby" - and see I couldn't!

Being in this place in the middle of January in DC was magical.

The Lighthouse

This is the photo taken by my daughter Lauren of the Horton Lighthouse that is on Long Island. It is never in any calendars of lighthouses or even books for that matter (I think I did find it in an obscure book one time) but our family loves this lighthouse and if and when we are out on the North Fork we always go to visit it.

My grandmother was a Horton and this place is part of our legacy. In the town of Southold nearby there is a very old cemetery where Barnabas Horton was buried in 1680 and had a carved cover on his grave. This is what it says:

Here sleeps my body tombed in its dust til Christ
shall come and raise it with the just.
My soul's ascended to the throne of God
where with sweet Jesus now I make my aboad
then hasten after me my dearest wife
to be pertaker of this blessed life
and you dear children all follow the Lord.
Hear and obey His public sacred Word
and in your houses call upon His name
for oft I have advised you to do the same.
Then God will bless you with your children all
and to His blessed place He will you call.
Hebrews 11:4 He being dead yet speaketh

Here lyeth buried the body of Mr. Barnabas Horton bord at Mousley in Lester-Shire in Old England and dyed at Southold the 13 day of July 1680 Aged 80 years

I consider this a prayer said over all the generations and hold it close in my heart and memory.

Hello ...again

Thought I'd post some photos of my contented home:

Can't figure out how to turn the sideways one right side up and am now giving up!




So...I was doing really well with my plan and went to visit my daughter and proceeded to get sick while there and that just set me back. This last week I started writing my "intake" down and I exercised three times. We had some relatives visiting here in Myrtle Beach so there was a lot of eating out though one day I made a Lime Chiffon Pie - that was low calorie. Planning on getting and staying on track and not beating myself up over anything.

Saturday Night

Well here it is Saturday night and I haven't been doing any postings on my sidebar. BUT - I have been writing everything down that I'm eating and I have exercised everyday except Wed. so that means I have to exercise tomorrow (I like to take Sunday off). I'm feeling really great just because I haven't stopped exercising. That is a real accomplishment for me and knowing that I'm going to report here does help. Monday I'm going to weigh myself but I don't care what it says I'm still going to continue on.

I decided I wasn't ready for the Bootcamp DVD so I was able to find the DVD at "Tarjay" of the 1, 2, 3 and 4 mile walks - I'm still doing the 30 min. 2 mi. walk and hope to do the 3 mi. tomorrow in the morning. The 3 mi. is 53 mins. long.

I went out to dinner three times this week because friends were here from NY and I think I did well - made healthy choices.

Tuesday morning I fly up to PA - hopefully the pilot's strike will be over with and I will be with one of my daughters and grandchildren!!!!

Hope Springs Eternal

I bought a new workout video last night at Walmart. Leslie Sansone's Walk Weight Loss Bootcamp - 3 miles of walk & tone intervals that you do in your own home and is 45 mins long - as opposed to the 30 minute one I have been doing. All of this is to work up to the Hip Hop Abs DVD that my daughter lent to me and really intimidates me but I really really want to do.

Later this month I'm flying up to my Pennsylvania daughter's to stay for a couple of weeks and I want to keep going with my exercise program so I thought this new DVD would be a good one to "bump" up to. I know we're planning on trying bike riding and we'll do a lot of walking (she has a German Shepherd) but - I really want to stay on the program and see how it works for me.

Friends came for a brief visit as they were driving down from Long Island on their way to Florida and called and asked if we could see each other. It was great seeing them - they came to my house so we could sit and visit and then went to TGIF's where I had a turkey burger. All of this to say that they gave me a box of candy of jellied fruit slices - that I happen to like - I don't know why I just do - and of course I keep eating them. Why can't I eat just one or two a day? - I have this thing about "finishing" - do I think there are less calories if I eat it quickly and throw away the box???? I am going to get up right now and go and throw the box away - there done - just wish there were more to throw away...

I haven't exercised yet today - usually that is the kiss of death and means I won't get to it - but - I'm going to a friend's home for dinner tonight and thought I would exercise then shower and go to the party later this afternoon. The battle continues.

Being Taught By My Daughter

My oldest daughter suggested that I learn how to do a "sidebar" to keep track of my diet and exercise so everyone wouldn't have to read all the boring reporting and I agreed with her but needed to be taught how to do it (though she told me she taught herself how to do it!!!) My youngest daughter, who was here visiting for the weekend from D.C. took it upon herself to teach me and so I will attempt it!!! Why am I intimidated by some of this stuff???? Especially when I think about what I did at work!

I didn't exercise Sunday or Monday - never had time on Sunday and then wasn't feeling so great on Monday - and then I realized I wasn't feeling well today and I recognized the trend so I forced myself to do the workout video. I also had problems with some food issues - I bought a box of Entenmann's Chocolate Chip Cookies to have to serve to my daughter and her boyfriend and in just trying to be honest - the cookies are all gone and they were all eaten by me - yep - and I bought chips and salsa and we never ate them so after they left to go back I fixed a plate of chips, grated cheese and salsa for myself - yep - ate it - could this be the reason I didn't feel so well???? You think??? So - today I started again. Thanks for listening. Now I'm going to try the sidebar thingy.