On a Warm Summer Night

It's a warm August night and our fan is running on high, as are the various ceiling fans throughout the house. Skittle is sleeping on the TV tray in front of Don's chair in the living room. Randy and I have both tired of scolding her and chasing her off. She's so much bigger now, almost Tyler-size and goes out without one of us chaperoning now, although she only stays out three hours or less at a time. She's our little Egyptian Mau/Bengal mix and is highly intelligent, plus she's very food-motivated. Randy has had some success at training her. Tyler has settled directly in front of the fan that is drawing the cooler air in from the outside. She's sad that Don, her MealMan, has banned her from the bedroom, but she'll repeatedly wake him during the night if he lets her in. Spats is deep in sleep on a carpet runner next to the music bookshelves.

Last night Randy and I went out to watch the lunar eclipse, the first time I've ever seen one, in spite of my nocturnal predilections! Tonight we've both mentioned going to the gym, but neither of us is making a move to get ready, so I don't think we'll make it. I am trying to do some gentle exercise again. A recent appt. with a nutritionist has reminded me how important it can be to help control my blood sugars. Most likely my weight gain is due to the fatigue and pain from fibro. I'm trying to eat as per the South Beach Diet, but it is hard to stay with high fiber carbohydrates all the time. A 'no sugar added' milkshake is very cooling in the summer heat. We buy Breyers brand and a store brand low carb ice cream sold by Vons. Sugar free Popsicles are great too. I snack on low fat string cheese or nuts. I also work at drinking a goodly amount of water, iced this time of year, everyday. We drink filtered water, the stuff you can get from a water bottle filling machine, like Glacier Water. The water in Escondido is fluoridated now and we prefer purer water. We even use filtered water to make our ice cubes.

When I look back, although I am still overweight, I realize that I eat so much healthier now and much smaller portions too. I used to make casseroles and Hamburger Helper when I lived alone and often I ate half or all of the recipe the first evening I cooked it. Although I switched to fresh fruits when I moved out of my parents' house, I still ate a lot of canned veggies. Over the past 10 years or so I've stopped eating hamburger, unless I get a burger at a restaurant. I much prefer the taste of ground turkey or chicken. My cholesterol is about 180 which is good for most people, but new guidelines for diabetics does now push for a 100 reading. I can't take statins and the alternative is Zetia, which upsets my stomach after a few weeks, so I'm looking at taking the new Promise Activ Yogurt Shots during the week that I have to forego taking the Rx, although I haven't found them yet. You know, if you go to a bookstore's site, like Barnes and Noble, you can find out if they have the book you're looking for, no problem. I've gone to the sites of 4 grocery stores, Trader Joe's, Albertsons, Vons and Stater Bros. and not a one allows you to search for a specific item! Now how dumb is that?