Thirty-one

In order to hit 1000 walking miles this year, I need to get 31 more done before New Year's Day. That's about three miles a day for the next week and a half. I'll be on the road for two of those days, and we're having company for another two.

So … we'll see. I'm willing to bet I come up a couple miles short. But I'm still going to try.

My husband and I started out yesterday afternoon, at what was supposed to have been the warmest hour of the day, but turned back after less than half a mile. We didn't take into account the cool wind, and neither of us had dressed warmly enough. I kept walking up and down our long driveway to get a full mile in (I'm sure I looked ridiculous, but  that's another advantage of living in the Middle of Nowhere: No one saw me!)

It's supposed to get up to 40° this afternoon, and no wind. NO EXCUSES!

In other news, the remaining handmade gifts are being completed on schedule. I finished up a couple things for my Big Bang Theory-obsessed teen-aged grandson yesterday. He's getting round business cards for Christmas, and since his birthday is in just a couple weeks I used the business card design to make a tile coaster. (I put his name/phone/email atop an image of an atom – it's pretty cool, if I do say so myself!) I ordered this shirt for his birthday and used the design to make a couple of fat notepads. It's really hard coming up with birthday ideas so soon after Christmas, but I went with a theme this year (personalized and BBT) and I think he'll be pleased.

My younger granddaughter asked for a red, floor-length hooded cape a long time ago, and I told her it would probably be a Christmas gift. She asks about it every time we talk. I worked on it yesterday, along with two itty-bitty ones for her American Girl dolls (the one she got last year from Santa and the new one she's getting this year). Another couple of hours and those should be ready to wrap.

I also started making an infinity scarf for myself – very simple seed stitch, in a gorgeous yarn made up of one strand mohair and one strand shiny ribbon. (It's Pingouin Douceur, for those who care about such details, and it's ancient. I've no idea where it came from or how long I've had it.) I needed a mindless project I could work on in the evenings. When my husband saw me knitting it last night, he said what a perfect gift that would be for his old college friend E, who's been going through some tough times lately and loves the color purple.

I don't have time to finish and mail it before Christmas, but it can be a New Year's or a sometime-in-January gift for no reason at all. A just-because-it's-perfect-for-her present.

And there's enough yarn left for another scarf. FOR ME.

The last thing on my list is to frame a photo for my mother-in-law and then find another little something for her. She has everything she needs and wants, but requested "a real gift to unwrap." Meaning not another gift certificate to her hairdresser.

I know how she feels. My husband never wraps anything, unless you count the envelope in which he puts a card and money to spend on myself. But my son and his wife always wrap their gifts for us, so I do have that little pleasure.

Figuring out something to give my husband's mother is more difficult than wrapping it, though. I need to Google "gifts for the homebound."

So how am I doing with the September goal?

Pretty good, thankyouverymuch.

For September, I challenged myself to add some strength straining to my routine. I specifically said I would do wall pushups, lunges, squats and tricep kickbacks with a dumbbell on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Because, as I said last Sunday, ya gotta start somewhere.

I've done what I said I would do, and on Thursday I even did as many girl pushups as I could manage. Which was eight.

I'm seriously not very strong, y'all!

But I'm seriously committed and seriously serious about getting stronger.

Weigh-in tomorrow morning. I'm both dreading and anticipating. I've upped the calories by 100 to 200 each day this week, with no ill effects so far. I also logged 33 miles walking and running.

All in all, a pretty good week. No matter what the scale says tomorrow morning.