It's Not What It Looks Like

Is it big, round, jiggly and white?  And you think it's my derriere?  Okay.  It is what it looks like.  But, I'm not talking about that.  I'm talking about my blogging absence.


I haven't thrown in the towel, given up, called my fitness journey kaput, nor drowned my sorrows in mind-numbing sugar-comas.


I'm fine.


Sort of.


I mentioned last time that I've been extremely physically busy working on the old house my parents bought as well as the landscaping work in my yard.  People were beginning to comment on my toning and slimming.


Then I got stung by a yellow jacket.


Not this one:

This one:

I never saw it coming.  I just walked into my neighbor's backyard and was stung on the leg.  Four days later I developed cellulitis, and it spread rapidly.  I was given  two antibiotic shots, a Rx for more antibiotics, had my leg wrapped and was told to stay off of it and keep the leg elevated.

"Yay!  Blog time!!"

Nope.  No computer.  (Dell is replacing our lemon, and it will arrive in a couple of weeks).

Leg was on the mend.  I got active, again.  I now have antibiotic-induced colitis.  And I got the 24+ hour flu (unless that is part of the colitis) -- fever, nausea, chills, sweats, chills, sweats, yuks.  Major headache.  Oh, and the lethargy --  I didn't want to move, much less blog, even if I had a computer.

I'm better but still low on energy.  So, here's my little moment to post (our other broken computer -- Danny's travel/work-computer --  was fixed this afternoon).  

Thank you to the blog-angels that have checked up on me.  That means SO much.  I hope to have more computer time soon to see how all of you are doing.  You're in my thoughts.

You know what?  I haven't binged.  My choices haven't always been wise, but I haven't binged.  I wonder if it has anything to do with my contentment and enjoyment of my projects and physical exertion.

Well, I have no clever way to close this.

The end.

Checking In

Still here.


And there.


And everywhere.


Very, very busy. Good busy. Sleep-when-the-head-hits-the-pillow busy.


Walking 2.5 to 3.5 miles every morning. Up and down hills. With a stroller.


Sweating.


Lifting weights: bags of soil and retaining-wall blocks. Putting them on hand-truck. Putting them in vehicle. Taking them out of vehicle. Carrying them up slanted yard (putting in a garden on slopey property -- my project).


Digging. Lots of digging.


And cleaning. Parents bought a 55-year-old home around the corner from me. Lots of grime. Dirt. Webs. And carpet laden with black mold that needed to be ripped out.


The thing is I LOVE THIS WORK. I have to be careful because I will go and go and go.


And not drink water.


And not plan my meals. Or at least not follow through with the plan, grabbing a fast food meal instead.


So, I'm maintaining.


I found another love, too. I should be ashamed of myself. We met last week.

Have you seen the size of these things? "Campfire Giant Roasting Marshmallows" - they are ... giant. I, dare I say it, like them better than chocolate, especially when they are golden-crunchy-chewy on the outside and melty soft on the inside.

I know.

I am what I eat.

White.

Fluffy.

But,

sweet.

Four-Mile Hike

Stewart Falls, Utah

I'm squeezing in some blog time to report that I'm hanging in there. I could be doing better but have been very active. Today our neighbors invited us to join their family to go into American Fork Canyon-Provo Canyon and hike two miles to Stewart Falls. It was amazingly beautiful. Danny, my daughter, and I held hands and walked behind the falling water next to the wall of the mountain (bottom part of falls in photo -- not me in pic). Invigorating. Nothing like a shower of melting snow in the morning to wake you up. We hiked back soaking wet, which was great because of the growing heat from the mountains.

We could see Sundance Ski Resort from where we were. It's owned by Robert Redford. As we were walking, we realized we were on the trail with the Sundance Kid himself. He was with two other adults and a toddler. I was too busy admiring their child-carrier back-pack style with a canopy to notice Mr. Redford. We kept passing each other. We would stop to rest, they would pass. They would rest, we would pass. At one point I walked right by him on the narrow trail and said, "Excuse us, please." "Sure!" he said. Anyway, hikers were polite and respectful. No one bothered him.

I haven't been perfect on the challenge, but I haven't given up. Life is busy and challenging in and of itself. I didn't drink as much water today, otherwise I would have been in the stinging nettle bushes often to relieve myself. Besides, I wouldn't want the Sundance to see my moon-dance in the shrubbery.

Enjoying the falls but not falling.