Okay, so it's been a while

The break felt good. The daily posting streak continues, thanks to photo-a-day, but I just didn't have it in me to write much of anything the past few days.

To be honest, I don't have much to write about even now. It's been too windy to till (I don't care for all that dust blowing up my nose and in my eyes), so the garden remains fallow.

The walking streak continues … 26 days straight now, averaging more than five miles per day. I was bitten by a dog last Thursday on my favorite road (third bite from the same household of dogs) and haven't been back since. That road is flat and shady and follows a little creek and is absolutely lovely for walking.

My road is hilly and not shady and follows a bunch of empty fields. I'm not saying it isn't lovely, because we do have some beautiful views here, but it isn't lovely like Indian Creek is. But after a conversation with the dog owner we just don't feel as though we can safely walk there any longer.

So sad.

It's amazing that it took seven wheelbarrows full of mulch
– and two hours of labor! – to cover this small space. 

That's the bad news. The good news is: The rowing machine is FIXED! I'm very happy about that, and I put it to work yesterday afternoon. Yesterday, in fact, was one of my more active days of late. I walked four miles in the morning, spread seven wheelbarrows full of mulch around and between two trees while my friend was working on the rower, rowed for 30 minutes later in the afternoon and walked another two miles after that.

I'm still doing the Whole 30 with Gingerzingi. And I still haven't lost any more weight. But all the other benefits of eating this way are still with me – energy, good sleep, lack of pain – so I'm sticking with it.

The graphic design project I've been working on for several weeks if at the printer. I have some web design projects to do, but I think I'll wait a couple days before I plunge back into "work." The blog break was nice … I think a work break also is in order.

No such thing as a workOUT break, though. I'll be tiptoeing between raindrops and thunderstorms today, but I WILL add at least five more miles to the total. I'm OBSESSED with that 1,500-mile goal. I guess there are worse things with which I could be fixated, right?

Long time no write

Wow, I haven't taken a four-day blog break in a very long time. I hadn't intended to; it just worked out that way.

One must, at times, make sacrifices.

So the Fourth of July has come and gone again. The confederate and tea party flags were flying high here in southern West Virginia, alongside the stars and stripes. Y'all know how I feel about the confederate flag – people who fly it are not "honoring their heritage," they're announcing they're racists. How's that for telling it like it is?

And that yellow flag with the snake saying "Don't tread on me?" I think the National Organization of Women should wrest it from the tea party and strike back HARD at state legislatures who are treading on women's rights.

I worked at the garden center the morning of July 4, the first day of our annual sale. That evening found my husband and me at the home of friends, sharing dinner and great conversation AND being charmed by a charm of hummingbirds at their feeder. As many as six showed up at one time! I was fascinated, and bought a feeder on Saturday, which the tiny birds found almost immediately.

Friday was cake-baking day. I ended up making Southern Living's Perfect Chocolate Cake, with peanut-butter frosting between the layers and turquoise-tinted buttercream on the outside. The whole beach-party theme went over well and lots of the decorative seashells went home with the birthday girl. Along with most of the leftover cake. I had one small piece Saturday with the family, breaking my Whole 30 on the 90th day.

Today's weigh-in has me up one pound. The only cheating I did was that piece of cake – no hamburger bun, no pasta salad, no cheese – and I'm not eager to do it again. I was very sluggish yesterday. I had made time for a walk Friday morning, but got bit by a dog and had to cut it short. I took a killer yoga class Saturday morning (which was more of a workshop). I did absolutely NOTHING yesterday but rest.

I have a walking date this morning. Whole 30 begins today. It's Monday – time for starting fresh and renewing my commitment. I've only done two days of the first week of Couch to 5K, so I need to start that over again, as well.

Our planned social events and short trips are now done for the bulk of the summer. The calendar is blissfully free until late August. I'd like to do a big book purge, organize the yarn closet (again), start a new knitting project and finish watching the recently completed season of Mad Men, which is waiting patiently on the DVR.

And lose more weight.