Feedback. And feeding.

Thank you all, ever so much, for your comments yesterday. I began writing a response this morning and I just couldn't do it. I appreciate all of you taking the time to share your feelings. I think the liability insurance idea is a very good one, and law-abiding gun owners shouldn't flinch at acquiring it.

Wouldn't it be awesome if we implemented a single-payer health care system here in the U.S. and morphed all the health insurance products into firearm insurance products? Wow, there's a pipe dream if I ever had one.

I'm just so disheartened about this topic, and the crazy way Republicans and the NRA are defending their precious Second Amendment rights. If you want an automatic weapon or a high-capacity clip, then join the fucking army. Isn't that what a well-regulated militia is? It certainly isn't the guy that sets his target up across the road I walk on, and then fires away.

But enough about that.

The lemon squares were … not quite awesome. Cooking Light shaved about 175 calories and 5 grams of fat from a typical serving by completely eliminating the butter and drastically reducing the amount of sugar. The final product is plenty sweet enough, but honestly? I think I'll just save room for The Real Deal next time I want lemon bars. A shortbread crust needs butter. And, sometimes, so do I! Heh.

We eventually hit 10 inches.

In other news, it snowed here yesterday afternoon and evening. A lot. We filled the bird feeder as the rain began changing to snow, and I'm so glad we did. Our feathered friends would find precious little to eat if they had to dig through 10 inches of snow! We didn't expect that much, certainly.

As it had rained for a good 24 hours prior to snowing, the ground is saturated and there's truly no place for all this snow to go once it melts. I think we will experience some pretty bad flooding. I'm in no danger, as the rivers are far away from my house. But a couple years ago the nursery where I work was devastated by flood and several years ago the town of Alderson was nearly wiped out.

Let's hope history doesn't repeat itself. The next few days will be sunny but cold. Maybe there will be more evaporation than melt.

And maybe Congress will do something right and good and worthy of our trust.

Weather and TBL and lemons, oh my

Wow. Southern West Virginia is now under a flood watch and a winter storm watch. I couldn't stand the idea of an indoor workout yesterday and opted to walk three miles in the rain. To be fair, it was j-u-s-t b-a-r-e-l-y sprinkling when I started out, but it was a full-on rain after the first mile or so.

No biggie. All I got was wetter, the longer I walked. Popped my jacket in the clothes dryer at the end, and got on with the rest of my day.

The dentist appointment was okay. My "appliance" needs a tune-up, already, and I will therefore have to go without it for a week, beginning next week. I promised I would be at church this Sunday. I'm not able to hide my mouth behind my hand at church, especially when the guest minister that day will be the chaplain who also officiated at the blessing ceremony my husband and I had after our Vegas wedding.

My husband says I look fitter, three weeks into this food-and-activity makeover. He's absolutely positive I've lost some weight, and I had to gently remind him that

IT'S NOT ABOUT LOSING WEIGHT!

He was quick to agree. Because he knows what's good for him. Heh.

One thing about the nutritional part of this plan (if you're new here, it's not any official "plan." I'm not restricting anything but simply trying to keep my daily calories below a certain number.) is I find myself unwilling to waste calories on junk. Even on Anything-Goes Mondays, I've been reining it in, limiting my wild and wicked ways to a shot or two of liquid coffee creamer.

This would have made a nice "yellow"
photo a couple days ago, yes?

The lemons are ripening, and we love us some lemon bars, so I poked around on the internets for a recipe that wouldn't send me over the edge, either calorie-wise or desire-wise. This one from Cooking Light is reasonable enough in calories – just 124 per teeny-tiny bar – but since I haven't made them yet, I'll have to report back on whether I can limit myself to one or two.

I've been watching The Biggest Loser this season. Hard to believe it's the 14th year. I passed it up for several years, a combination of it being broadcast on Tuesdays, when I was at the prison, and not knowing how to make the DVR do what I want it to do. Now that we've upgraded to a DVR that's integrated with the satellite dish, I can program the show easily and watch it at my leisure.

Yoga Bob is now, apparently, Crossfit Bob, and I am in awe of anyone who can do even one burpee, let alone the numbers Team Blue was racking up. Made me tired just watching it. I finished my blue-and-white scarf yesterday afternoon in front of the television, and wrapped it around my neck while the contestants worked out. 

If you'd rather just get a recap of the program, be sure to tune in weekly to Jen's blog. She breaks it down quite nicely, and has been doing so for a long, long time. I appreciate her insight.

And I appreciate your stopping by to see what I'm up to. Thanks for reading.