November 24, 2014 (Sorry in advance for the messed up pictures)
Bonus family time last week at our fav restaurant El Gallito
with my brother Bernie, sister (in law) Ronna, their kids Nic and Brad, Brad’s
wife Katie and Nic and Braden’s one year old, the awesome Navy Bean. Not enough
time to really talk and catch up but seeing Katie and Navy made our day! Brad
and Katie live in Alabama where her family is – in fact a year ago Thanksgiving
we were sharing that holiday at their home in Cullman. Nic has one busy,
active, mommy-centric baby girl, who makes my heart smile BIG
whenever I look at her. The picture is of the Bean giving me a hi-5 over and
over.
Bern and Ronna have gone back to the NW for the holidays but
will return in January. Tony and I are both looking forward to their return so
that we can pal around and be active with them.
Another dip in the pool with our exercising (mostly
Canadian) friends, stretching, running, walking, singing. My favorite song is
at the end when we all form a circle with our arms around each other and sing:
“Give yourself a pat on the back, a pat on the back, a pat on the back,
And say to yourself, your jolly good self, you’ve had a good day today.
Yesterday was filled with trouble and sorrow,
Nobody knows what’s going to happen tomorrow,
So give yourself a pat on the back, a pat on the back, a pat on the back,
And say to yourself, you’re in
jolly good health, you’ve had a good day today!
An extremely
happy, loving and supportive way to continue your day in paradise.
I was so damn sore all weekend from the water exercise and
the golf lesson – what the hell? – that I did not want to go this morning,
hoped TC would forget. He didn’t, and we went, and I’m glad. It was a talky
group this morning, SO much laughing, we hardly have time to exercise. There is
a woman with Parkinson’s who is their dear friend. They help her into and out
of the pool from her little electric go machine. She smiles throughout the
class, very unstable on her pins but keeps at it. I think she was a
kindergarten teacher and oozes that sweetness. Another woman is a real estate attorney, many more retired.
They’ve all been here from five to ten years, quite the friend group. I like
making them laugh with my usual irreverent humor. Here’s a shot of Tony at the end
of our pool time. Instructor Mary is on
the far left…she’s a pip!
And the group just starting to swing!
Yesterday we had a double down day – my Uncle Keith’s 90th
birthday and the Seahawks beating the 9-1 Cardinals, both scheduled for 1:00.
Tony was a little leery of missing the game, but I told him my plan for the
party was, “In at one, out at two!” and verily it was true. Lovely time meeting
my Aunt and Uncle’s old (really, old) friends from their gated community and
even from the northwest. Tony asked me today why no one else had shorts on, in
fact some even had sweaters and wool coats – and it was 75. They were all pretty
trim amid the wrinkles and varicose veins but I think vain when it comes to
showing legs and arms. My favorites were two women who had a full cadre of
make-up, and the most awesome, Sharpie looking eyebrows ever. Big old dark
curves above their eyes – eyes that were covered in blue or green eye shadow.
And god the perfume! You hug someone and you are forever wearing their old lady
stinky brand of ‘fume.
My Aunt Naomi is so beautiful, energetic, perfectly coiffed
and dressed. My talented niece Nicolette, a stylist, who stayed with them last
week with her baby Navy, had worked with Aunt Nay on a lovely cut and it
showed. We hugged and hugged. She is the ultimate in party-givers – everyone there
commented on her love of parties, and her flair for them. I’m glad to say she
had it catered this time, as normally she insists on doing all the cooking. She
and Keith have been coming to “the desert” for many years, playing a lot of
tennis in their life, partying, making friends. They are very wealthy
Republicans, again, quite different from my family.
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And the birthday farmer-boy:
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For years we attended Thanksgiving, and some Christmases at
their huge white-brick mansion overlooking the Sound near Innis Arden (north
Seattle). My mother was completely cowed by their life, then turned that into a
Lutheran distaste. We grew up feeling “less than” my cousins, but I’m not so
sure now that it was due to their upbringing about us, or my mother’s naïve
distrust of these worldly relatives. It all changed after my dad died – he was one
of two older brothers of my Aunts. Her oldest, Web, was a retired Air Force
Colonel; my dad was a gyppo logger who was always seeking the dream of wealth,
but didn’t have the proper map to that end goal. After he died at around 68,
Aunt Naomi did a 180 and really reached out to us. It helped too, that my bro
Bernie and wife Ronna bought a condo in the desert and became very close to both
Keith and Naomi, mostly by getting advice about the desert from them, and
helping them immensely with chores, storage and hauling their stuff back and
forth from Seattle (K and N also have a Lake Washington condo up north for
their summer fun).
All in all Naomi has been a real family proponent toward my
five siblings and we have responded in kind. She has a Christmas party for the
family at Christmas, and usually a party in the summer as well. Their family
consists of two living daughters (two have passed) and a bevy of grandchildren.
They usually show up for the parties but not always; the oldest was at the 90th
party yesterday, the youngest not because of her children’s obligations. I was
the only representative from the Plourd family, although B & R wish they
could have attended.
A highlight for Tony and I was my Aunt Erny who was married
for just a few years to my 90 year old Uncle Web – the Air force uncle and
oldest sib of Naomi and my dad. He had been somewhat unsatisfyingly yet loyally
married to his wife for 60+ years. When she passed he and her caregiver, Erny,
began to date. He blossomed! She loved him. They traveled the world, loved very
deeply, laughed a lot. He had always been a little formal and very
conservative, slightly unhappy – with Erny he laughed, lit up when she entered
a room, loosened up. When one of my
sibs remarked with some disgust at a tattoo I have on my inner arm, Erny and
Web piped up and said, “We just got tattoos!
Look, little flowers on our ankles!” A most awesome moment for moi.
We had a great time talking with Erny and plan on seeing her
again this winter over a good meal. She’s a lovely kind hearted woman, one I
welcome into the family with open arms.
The game at our local Burger and Brew was fantastic. We didn’t
have the best seats in the house as it is packed a half hour before any game
time, but it was still fun . The Hawks found their mojo! My Seahawks tshirt is
in the mail as we speak, and Tony wears his as well.
As usual we were evesdropping on the peeps around us. Here’s
a woman who was on TC’s side with her slightly older boyfriend/husband/whatever
(not the guy to the right). She wasn’t young, but wow what a knockout. In my
new phase of try-not-to-be-judgemental, I really observed this nice woman with
the killer face and bod. Not sure what the dealio is with her, but she
definitely takes care of herself. She had the pretty woman thing where her eyes
are moving onto people around her all the time to see who’s looking. Her boyfriend,
however, was checking me out. I wore a ridiculously loose dress that I shouldn’t
be wearing at all, and my breasteses are available to all. Yikes.
On the hygiene side of things it may, or may not, interest
you to know that I am now making my own deodorant – how cool is that?! Thanks
to my pal Tsha I have a great recipe that works so well, without all the
chemical shit you usually get from commercial brands, even Tom’s. I sweat so
much, my thought is it’s just an endless menopause, and I haven’t been able to
control it with any product. This beautiful homemade deo works and I
smell great too! I have several scents I brought with and I’m currently hooked
on peppermint – yes! – as I love the clean smell. I also put in a few drops of
tea tree oil as it has antibacterial
properties. Here’s the recipe, which I
halve. I use organic ingredients:
3 T.
coconut oil
3 T. baking
soda
2 T. shea
butter
2 T.
arrowroot
Essential
oil(s) – no more than 12 drops total
Mash it all
together. To use, just take a small amount on your finger and massage into your
pits. Because we’re in the sun I also put it under my breasteses, my waist
sides and down my spine. (Recipe from Wellness Mama website).
The first
time I made it I used the red palm oil that I had in the fridge – bad move - clothes
stained red. Tossed that and got the organic coconut oil that is white. I also
use it on my lips and it is lovely.
As most of y’all
know I and my naturopath doc entered into quite an adventure this last summer
over my health. She asked that 1) I abstain from all food that makes sugar in
my body: beans, rice (any color), potatoes, sugar (of course), flour, grains of
any kind; and that 2) I move my body. I was successful in not only dumping
about 30 lbs, but getting my glucose at 100 or below all day, stopping all
diabetes meds (metformin) and leveling my three month glucose level from 8.2 to
5.5 (should be under six). All that doc promised I realized. I can’t say I feel
fabulously fit, but I am mentally incredibly proud of myself. Curiously, my
endocrinologist was not as enthusiastic as I about my changes – maybe due to
losing a patient? I don’t want to believe that of him because he’s a nice man.
His only comment on all the data I presented him was, “Good for you but I don’t
think it’s sustainable.”
He be wrong.
My angst over not having fries, hamburger buns, bread of any kind, rice, beans,
spaghetti sauce is gone. I can eat at a restaurant and get a salad with meat,
or a burger without a bun very easily now – I NEVER thought I’d be there.
Moving consisted of Tony and I joining the Poulsbo Athletic Club for water
aerobics (love it!) throughout the summer, but ended on Sept 1st when
we thought we were leaving the 27th. We definitely should have kept
going as I now know that all the changes in eating do level off without
movement.
Tony, too,
has semi-adopted my eating profile but still had his peanut butter toast and/or
ice cream at night. Recently, because of his shit dermatologist down here, he
has eschewed all bread and ice cream, as well as following my ban on rice,
potatoes, etc. It’s all about the fat baby – organic meats, cheeses, butter,
greens. Excellent article in the 11/14 Men’s Health mag about this eat fat
forget the carbs phenom. We’ll see what changes our bodies decide to form into
next. In the meanwhile, it’s just good for us! I’m trying to clear our
environment of toxins as well, such as no more harsh cleaners, no dryer sheets
and homemade deodorant. I believe it all
helps.
I’m not
entirely sure why I can’t/don’t drop more weight – especially from my belly – I’m
thinking maybe the antidepressant I’m on won’t let my fat cells release enough.
Not sure. Don’t worry about it as much as in the past.
