Diane, thank you for the most welcome reminder that life should be lived and time with friends is important too. That hit home for me and made me feel better because I braved the scale today and am up about 1 pound. I cannot attribute it to water weight but to too many indiscretions on my “off” days. It was a good wake up call for me, especially since I weigh in so infrequently. I made better choices today but was a little hungrier than usual. I made extra veggies and added some potatoes at supper. That was very satisfying.

DW, I just love reading about your dogs and your show involvement. Hope you made the progress you were aiming for with your house today. I ended up having another pretty lazy day, mostly because my time was eaten up by phone calls, some of which were church related again. Like yours, my “to do” list for tomorrow is now longer but I think it will be manageable.

Shari, Good for you and Jim heading to Mexico!!!! What an excellent and much-needed getaway. Good thinking in terms of the uncertainty of potential future travel restrictions! So happy for you. I think a day of rest and reflection on a Sunday is a wonderful idea. That is a fairly common practice by most people in my faith. I was raised somewhat strictly with this practice. (My grandmother didn't even think using scissors on a Sunday was ok....but she lightened up on this over the years). Of course, we cooked, cleaned up from meals, etc. but never did any “housework.” This practice applied to other days, especially feast days in the church, such as the obvious Christmas, Epiphany, etc. but also on some of the lesser feast days in my church. I think it is a healthy and beneficial practice.

I had a very good on track day today. Once again, I slept a bit late (which helps me with the IF). I made good choices all day including salmon, asparagus, and broccoli with a little cheese sauce for supper. I made potatoes for John and had about a half cup myself. I got a new iPhone today. I ordered it online and it arrived today. Thank goodness for John who took care of all the techno stuff for me. My old phone was ancient, but transferring the info/data from the old phone to the new one wasn’t difficult, especially since John did it for me. Tomorrow I get my hair cut. Yay!!!

Hi Everybody! Shari-your trip is so exciting! I hope you've had good luck with clothes shopping! Diane, I hope your toe is doing better! Paula, I was doing WW when everything shut down and was having success but didn't do well when they went to zoom meetings so I quit. My daughter has been asking me to do it with her-I'm still considering...
I went to Goodwill yesterday and found two blazers to wear for the dog shows. I didn't want to put greasy dog treats in a jacket that I might want to wear to church some day-LOL!! The criteria was that they had to go with black or navy pants and had to have pockets. There wasn't much of a selection but I only needed two. Before the dog show, I have my "sister's shopping trip", which was cancelled last year. My sister and I go to Michigan Christmas shopping for three days. I am gathering ideas for gifts and will be cleaning all next week since she arrives Sunday, 11/14. She lives in Ohio but we don't get to see each other often so this makes shopping more fun and we get to spend time together. She is up to 10 grandchildren and had 3 when we started this outing tradition. Have a great evening and weekend!

Shari, Wow and congrats on your shopping trip! What bargains you got!!! I am so happy for you. I am such a clothes lover. That is always in the back of my mind when it comes to weight loss….looking better in my clothes. I am so happy that you will be well and comfortably attired for you trip. I have been doing some Christmas shopping off and on for a while now, all online. I recently ordered 2 T shirts and 1 sweatshirt for John from the online store of the animal shelter where my friend Kellie volunteers. He will love them, and I am delighted to be able to support the shelter that way. They have some really nice items in their online store.

Diane, I hope your toe is getting better. That can be so painful and concerning. Good that you got medical attention! Prayers for you as always! I haven’t gotten my booster yet. I have been waiting until I felt comfortable knowing what one(s) would be ok for me. I have an old friend (actually an old beau) who is a physician (now retired) and whose judgements and opinions I still greatly value. (Shari, remember when he came back into my life in June 2019?....well we have continued to be in contact with each other but not in person now that Covid is here and he has had cancer.) Anyway, he recently told me it would fine for me to get a booster that is not J & J. He, too, had the J & J (which is why I wanted that one in April), and he is planning to get the Moderna booster. So, I will check also with my family doc just to be sure, but I definitely wanted his opinion first.

DW, Your sisters shopping tradition sounds like a great way to shop for Christmas. That is definitely something I would have enjoyed back when I didn’t have these mobility issues. (Of course, as an only child I don’t have the joy of having a sister.) I am so interested in your upcoming dog show experiences. I love to watch the dog shows on TV. Your jackets from Goodwill sound perfect for your needs. I miss shopping at the thrift shop near where I get my nails done. The thrift shop went out of business due to the pandemic, and it looks like it won’t be reopening. My friends have been doing WW online and meeting with success. I am seriously considering doing that.

I didn’t check in here yesterday because I fell asleep really early in the evening. I didn’t feel like I was having a flare or anything bad, but I just felt really tired. I feel great today so I guess I just needed that extra rest. Having an extra hour tonight from turning back the clocks will be welcome too. I weighed in this morning and stayed the same, a bit disappointing. But I was on track today and will keep at it.

DW, What a relief it must be for you to know that your grandsons got their vaccinations. I smiled when I read that in your post!!! I hope you don’t stress too much over cleaning for your sister. I have reached the point where at times I accept that I just do the best I can and celebrate whatever I accomplish no matter how large or small. You were right about the WW program changing this week. My friends have filled me in, and I am seriously considering doing the online program. They have explained it to me in some detail, and it seems that every plan is individualized based on personal preferences to some degree. It sounds like a program I could live with (at least for a while).

Shari, It took me a while to open up to being back in frequent touch with Dave. My heart goes out to him given his cancer and his overall medical situation. As you might recall, at one time he meant a lot to me. Sometimes he calls me while he is getting his chemo as talking helps him pass the time. We continue to have a lot in common, even after all these years have passed. I consider us now to be just good friends, without any notions of romance, but it is quite clear that we care for each other a great deal, and I will do whatever I can to help him.

Diane, I was wondering what AZ did in terms of daylight savings time. I forgot to ask my friend Ed (in Tucson) last time we talked. I don’t mind the early darkness all that much. It sort of fits with my winter nesting mindset. I am planning on scouting out the vaccine options in my area and am hoping that my Giant pharmacy will be able to provide what John and I need as minimal walking was required there.

I had a good day yesterday and am on track so far today. Yesterday I accomplished quite a bit of housework with the intention that I would be able to take it a little easier today, so that is what I am doing, kind of as a reward for all of yesterday’s efforts. I am making turkey breast cutlets for supper with a substantial salad and some yams. I expect that will keep me satisfied for the evening when I plan to curl up with a book in our family room. Tomorrow John and I have appointments with our ophthalmologist, the first one since Covid. I usually go every year because of potential side effects from one of the RA meds I take, but I skipped the appointment last year. John goes once every 2 years so I waited till we could go together.

Have a great evening friends!!

DW, Great idea for the light in your backyard. We have both a sensor light primarily for safety purposes and a regular switch on light in our backyard...well worth it. I am now an online member of WW too! I took the assessment and like what I have seen so far. I think it will be a welcome change from the 17DD even with the modifications I added to the plan. I am optimistic that WW could be the change I need to drop more weight. I am looking at the app and the online website. Have you found the place where we log our water? I am learning how to navigate with the app and the website but haven't found where to keep track of my water consumption.

So today is a bit of a transition day for me as I switch over to the new WW program. With that in mind, I think I had a very good day in terms of food choices. John and I had our ophthalmologist appointments today and all is excellent. I still need only readers, which I have oodles of all over the house. John's prescription hasn't changed enough to warrant new glasses. Woo Hoo! We just love our ophthalmologist. We have been with him 22 years and enjoy seeing him. I always joke that this is the best medical appointment because they don't have me step on a scale!!! I passed all the extra tests they give me (required because of one of the meds I take). Another Woo Hoo!

DW, I am just like you when it comes to the results of blood tests. What a relief that your doc reassured you and congrats on weighing less at your check up. Thanks for the info on the water on the WW app. I will check it out. I had difficulty tonight with both the WW app and the website. I never know if it is my computer, our internet, or if the WW is having an issue. I am glad to see that MFP here is working well. I am so accustomed to using my laptop much more than my phone apps that I will have to make a concerted effort to be more "with it" and use the WW app and apps in general I guess.

I did well with food choices today, got my nails done, and did a few "to do" items. Tomorrow is pick up for the ShopRite order and stopping at my friend Sandi's to give her some things for a project at her (my old) church. Hard to believe Thanksgiving (U.S.) is just 2 weeks from today! I will get a free turkey breast from ShopRite next week. Our Thanksgiving plans are still up in the air. Last year it was just John and me, and we didn't do our traditional get together with our dear friends, including Nancy and her sister. I will be fine to do the same again this year but get the sense that Nancy would like to do our joint dinner again as we have done for many many years. I will probably discuss things with her soon.

Here comes the weekend!!