Wednesday – June 18
I had to weigh myself this morning because I was sure I was feeling lighter. I was right, I lost two pounds! WooHoo. But today has been more difficult, I’ve been more hungry today than the previous days. I was able to stick to the Core Plan and did a brisk walk this morning. So I’m still doing good. I’ll get back on the scale on Saturday.
The Best – Ly
Only a grandma can know what I mean when I say ‘this is the best there is.’ I babysit for this little woman every day and love it. I appreciate every minute I get to spend with her. And yes I do spoil her a bit.
She was born on September 27, 2005 after 20 hours of labor. Mommy finally had to have a c-section and had to have general anesthesia. I’d never heard of such a thing and was really worried for both of them. I guess the spinal didn’t work, they tried it twice. But no need to worry, they both came out of it fine. And daddy really stepped up to take care of everything while mommy recovered. I don’t think she had to change a diaper for two weeks. I don’t think my husband ‘ever’ changed a diaper.
The Daughters – Bd
Bd is my second and my baby. She’s married to Ad and they are the proud parents of Ly. I was very lucky that both my girls decided to follow us from ND to Virginia. I’d die without them near me. Bd and Ad both work for the same company, they just moved into a new house and are doing really well.
The Daughters – JM
Jm is my first born. Recently broke up with her boyfriend of six years. Once she got rid of that negative baggage things began to happen. She’s dabbled in real estate for a while, but it wasn’t for her. She currently is managing a bank in the DC area. She loves cars and loves to cook.
The Sister – KN
KN is four years younger than I. She waited a long time to marry, but as soon as she did she was gone. Now she and her husband (Rk) both work the for same company; he’s the District Manager and she runs the office.
I often wonder how they could spend so much time together. They are not very social with family at all. They live 20 minutes from me and the last time we got an invitation to their house was for Christmas 2006. The first and only time they hosted Christmas. They like the world they’ve created and they don’t like intruders to enter that world.
My husband works for this same company with Rk as his boss. So Poor Scotty gets the shit end of the deal all the time. Everything is his fault. But now Rk’s brother started working for the company and that has taken some pressure off of Poor Scotty. The brother is being blamed for everything.
Rk’s not a good manager and in the real world would have been fired a long time ago. There’s a little note about him at the bottom of this post.
The Sister – KM
Km is two years younger than I. She’s divorced, has three kids, and one grandson. She recently quit her job of 22 years and moved out here to be a District Manager for a major company. I told her she could live with me because we’ve always gotten along very well, I consider her my best friend. Her daughter wants to stay back in ND and finish high school So she’s living with dad.
She and I couldn’t be more opposite. I love to cook and try new foods; she eats M&M’s for dinner. Everything in my house has a place and everything is in its place. I’m never late, I never lose my keys, phone, etc. She’s more ‘casual’ in her housekeeping and organization. I always plan ahead; she doesn’t. I always think of the other person; her not so much.
She’s been here since January and is now looking for her own place. It will be too quite here when she’s gone. We have some great conversations.
Poor Scotty
Husband of too many years
Plays solitaire on his computer all the time [yes, all the time]
No ambition
Waits for someone else to make his decisions
Huffs and puffs when he feels he’s put out
Doesn’t know when to get a haircut
Good grandpa
Stupid neighbors
I used to like my neighbors, but since they got a dog [large German Shorthaired/very very loud bark] two years ago I hate them. 
I’ve never understood why people get a dog just to abandon it in their backyard??? Sure, cute puppy, but it grows up and needs attention you morons. Not only are they OK with the dog barking for hours on end, as you can see from this picture they’ve even provided him with a deck so he can look over the fence and bark at everyone. Since this picture was taken, they’ve built a party cabana in the spot you see the dog in, but they then put a small trampoline in the corner of the yard. So, when this dog hears someone on the other side of the fence you see dog…no dog…dog…no dog…dog…no dog.
And this dog has stamina, he can bark for 6 or 7 hours straight. And that trampoline show can go on for hours. This is where people usually think I’m exaggerating, but no, I’m not. Since my sister has moved in she now believes that this dog barks all night and all weekend and she also believes me that Poor Scotty plays solitaire on his computer all weekend long. Both seem outlandish, but both are true.
You’d think that since our community is professionally managed we could get some relief from this dog. No, they say to call the animal control. Great, wanna know what they say? “We can send someone over there one time. Then after that at least two neighbors have to call on the same day they both have to be willing to go to court.” WTF?? You want me to call every day in hopes that someone else has called today too?
And why don’t my neighbors have a problem with this? Is it too much to expect that I can sit in my house [across the street and one house down] with the windows closed and the TV on and not hear your fucken dog barking for 4 hours each night? And why doesn’t this bother you? You’re a lot closer than I am. Don’t you hear the dog when you are in your driveway and he’s a mere 10 feet from you barking – and you’re on the phone? Can you tell he’s barking right now? Going on three hours and he’ll continue until dark.
Would it be wrong to shoot an email to 100 people and ask them all to call my neighboors and tell them to “SHUT YOUR FUCKING DOG UP?”
Tuesday, June 17
I’m feeling lighter already. I’m still doing good on the core plan. I’m eating more than I usually do as I try to keep up with the required daily foods. I even took a walk today for about an hour. Of course poor Ly fell and scrapped her little knee, but she was a trooper and we continued on. Had to do the band-aid things when we got home though.
I’m going to weigh myself tomorrow morning instead of waiting until Saturday. I’ll let you know.
Why does it smell like a giant fart in here?
Oh, don’t worry, that’s just my lunch. At least twice a week I roast cauliflower for myself. It’s tasty, but makes the entire house smell like a fart. It’s not bad if you are in here, but if you come in from outside it slaps you in the face and then punches you in the gut.
I love to drizzle olive oil on it then salt, pepper, and garlic powder and bake it in my toaster oven until its golden brown. Mmmm…has a real nutty flavor. And since cauliflower is a core food, I’ve not had to stop enjoying this smelly-fart delight.
That and a diet pepsi.
