Ages 70+

Seeing a lot of animals on our quarter across from the house. I think they are elk. Probably about 30 in the herd.
Just took out my binoculars and they are elk.

Yesterday was a non productive day. Pretty much read all day with the exception of my treadmill. Still pretty cool here but feels so much better as there is no wind. Making ribs in the slow cooker for supper tonight. Has sugar in the spice rub I make for them so will have to be careful with my portion size.

Joy, my mom used to cook ribs with the contents of a can if Pepsi!!! They were delicious, but that had to be a TON of sugar. Tell us how yours turned out.

What is your knitting project? I always have something on my needles.
Woohoo down half a pound this week!
We have thick ice on the ground. I put on ice cleats and put the trash can out by the curb but doubt they will collect it. Grateful we still have power. Lots of folks not so fortunate, including my daughter. Fingers crossed that ours stays on. I pulled a chicken pot pie out of the freezer to bake for lunch. That is when we have our big meal of the day.

Those ribs sound amazing!
I was making a hat to show my knitting group how it constructed. It is a strip of rectangular knitting that gets sewn up to be like those hats popular about 100 years ago. Twisted by the forehead. I will have to research the style name.
I need to brush up on my crochet skills.
Be safe in the storm!!!
Just some fluff here—cold and sparkly.

Out of curiosity, I checked out the Sophie Hood...very cute!

Sunny, clear day today at minus 11 C. Off to our local town today as need to pick up some milk and a couple of other essentials. Want to pick up a couple of snack items too as getting tired of eating the same things over and over. Trying to eat clean and stay away from junk food but sometimes I feel I want something else. Will get some hummus and some whole grain crackers which should be ok re calories and sugar levels. I have veggies that I can also eat with the hummus. Will see what they have for microwave popcorn. I know that contains unhealthy additives but in moderation I'm convincing myself it's ok.

Buttermilk bread sounds divine. I think you have the right idea about a cheat day to keep you on track. I can't do the sugar cheat day due to pre-diabetic so staying away from sugar as best I can. Bought hummus (too lazy to make it) and some whole grain crackers, cottage cheese and some unsalted nuts so should be ok for now. Try to keep my one snack per day (which is after supper) to 100-150 calories. Didn't buy the popcorn....read the label and decided no. Need to research this a bit better as I didn't like the oil in the varieties the store had. I have a microwave popper and popcorn kernels so could just make it myself then add a bit of butter.

You are both doing so well on food choices!!!
Don't have a hat pic yet but it is kind of a turban style. And you mentioned malabrigo, which is my favorite yarn! The hat is in one of the multicolor skeins, not sure if it is the fuchsia or magenta. I will have to check on Ravelry for your hat.
Swimming day today, no walking. Making bread. Just once I would love to have freshly ground flour!
I have cut back on sugar but still have a bit every day.

I appreciate the support I find here. It is easier for me to make good choices if I have friends trying to do the same. This group has become so important to me.

Congrats on TEN POUNDS!!!’ WooHoo that’s a great loss. Keep up the good work. I am wishing I had somewhere to put a fold up treadmill. I am still trying to find places for a garage full of stuff. Mostly I end up donating it because there is nowhere to put it. Everytime I declutter something, I tell myself it is one less thing our kids will have to throw out some day.

Finished a purple Malabrigo hat I was working on. Now I can start on Sophie. I got a set of ChaiGoo interchangeable knitting needles for Christmas, so I guess I will try them out. My daughterinlaw will be thrilled because I an giving her my old Addi interchangeable needles. I am very conscious of not hoarding knitting supplies anymore.

Joy, that is a great weightloss since July. Shows your hard work.

My purple hat is supposed to be a beret, but I may like it better as a slouchy hat. Trying to decide.

That turban is so cute! Love any hat I can
Stick a button on. Do you have a pattern or did you wing it? The construction looks interesting. Is the band knit flat and twisted and joined? Do you pick up stitches for the crown?
Another storm coming in tomorrow. 3-5” of snow. This is not our typical Virginia winter. Our temps are 20 degrees below average.
I am thinking those snow birds who winter in Florida are smart. For some reason, cold weather seems to make me humgry all the time. I am more successful at sticking to a diet in summer.

The hat was something I found online. Basically it is the two same K3P1 rows over and over about 4 in wide and 41 long. Then you have to twist it and sew it up.
https://www.thefunkystitch.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Free-Knit-Winter-Turban-Pattern-Pictures-784x1024.jpg
Relatives in VA are aware of the storm. We are more worried about my BIL evacuated from Pasadena. So scary. Thankful he and wife are finding friends to stay with. So far house still stands.

So far his block is safe, but the air quality is so bad that they can’t stay safely at home. They are staying with a variety of friends. It is really heartbreaking. And that fire is only three percent contained. He has heard that next door Altadena has lost around 5000 buildings.

We had sunshine today but had too many errands and did not get exercise in. We are trying to get a simple replacement coffee table and there sure are a lot of weird styles out there. Just finding a normal table you can move by yourself to vacuum under is hard!

Melody, I am not surprised it is hard to find a coffee table. All the big furniture factories in Virginia went out of business when we started importing cheap copies from China. I had a very hard time finding a smaller dining table when we moved. Everything in the furniture stores was such shoddy workmanship. Finally realized it would be better to search thrift stores and antique shops for better quality and even cheaper prices.

I feel like the whole world is either frozen or on fire. If you turn on the news, they are either talking about one or the other.

So far, I am on track with calories today. The problem is I am feeling lazy and dont want to exercise.

The president is Joe Biden. He is in power until Jan 20. Why are people wondering why Trump hasnt done anything. He has no power until Jan 20. I want to know why Joe Biden hasnt done anything. He is the one who!Has the power to send in the National Guard, to order the drop planes from other wooded states to help, to make sure money is available to manage forests and clear brush. Why dod Gov Newsome reduce firefighting budgets for the state by a third? Why hasnt he requested help from other states? Maybe he has. I try to fact check everything with primary sources, but I didnt check that yet.
I think the media is feeding this frenzy of hate and fear in America. I am determined not to buy into it. Trump was not my candidate, but I am willing to sit back and not judge until I see what he does. I dont think we will be any worse off than we have been in the last 4 years. And there is always a chance things could bet better.

I have heard Quebec is wonderful. We had planned a trip there and covid hit, so no fun. Now my husband has a cancer diagnosis and many medical procedures behind him and he cannot walk very far. Our big trip days are over. If you go to Quebec, maybe you can share lots of pictures and reports so we can see it with you.

My weather ap tells me it is 31 degrees and feels like 40. How can this be????