Progress Report February 3, 2008

Well, 4 days into the diet and I have lost 37 pounds, well………….almost 37 pounds.  Actually I have lost about a pound, but that is close, isn’t it?

Your mom and I have been counting calories, looking at every can, bottle, or package.  We have discovered that what is listed as the “serving size” for many products is a joke.  The serving size listed on one potato chip bag is “approximately 5 chips”.  Bet’ya can’t eat 5!  On the flip side, a Whopper, fries, and a coke contain over 1000 calories.  Wow, guess subbing a diet coke won’t help much.

We both seem to be hanging in there, but it is difficult.  Did you know a beer has almost 200 calories?

255 and not counting February 1, 2008

Over the past few years the fact that I was gaining a pound or 2 wasn’t a secret, but in my mind I was still the 190 pound guy I was when I was 30 years old. Well stepping on the scale and seeing 255 pop up on the dial pretty well blew that image out of my head.

I decided that although 165 to 180 pounds is the “ideal” weight for my height, 195 sounded better to me, so that is my goal. Over the next year I plan to loose 60 pounds. Using the internet, I figured that I need to take in around 2500 calories per day to loose a pound a week. Close as I can figure, I take in around 3000 or so a day now, so I only need to reduce my intake 500 calories per day. Shoot, that is only a double six pack a week, no hill for a climber. Well it seemed like no hill for a climber until Thursday.

My egg sandwich on wheat for breakfast was about 300 calories, soup and crackers for lunch was about 350, and a small portion of ribeye steak, baked potato with sour cream, and green beans without much seasoning for supper was about 1200 to 1500. Oh ya, I did had one beer while grilling the steak, do those 200 calories count? My daily total was around 2600, and I was hungry all day. This thing may be harder than I thought it would be.

I may be forced to do the unthinkable…EXERSISE!

Sitting Pretty! January 10, 2008

I have been wanting new sofas since we moved to Saraland. While the flowered sofa bed has come in handy in the past it has been hard to talk Floyd into replacing it. I finally have two(2) new sofas. They are beautiful. We didn’t actually get rid of the sofa bed, we moved it to the screened in back porch, so be warned if we get too crowded around here it might get used again.

Is normal, normal? December 30, 2007

The kids, grandkids, and dogs have gone home, the house is clean and straight, the Christmas trees are put away until next year, and all the gifts are put away. In other words all is back to normal, but normal is about like watching glue dry.

While they were here it was always similar to a redneck science project, lots of unrelated stuff happening. We were chasing the dogs, visiting kin folk, visiting friends, leaning the latest male teen fragrances and styles of dress, playing WII or helicopters, and such. Now it’s back to piddling around and watching TV, BORING!

Those damned dogs! December 21, 2007

Robert and family were almost out of sight when “Tanna” discovered the small hole in the fence. While I was hunting her, Roux fell/jumped into the pool, he discovered his error quickly and climbed back out. I found “Tanna” sniffing out the neighbor’s yard.

Robert had gone out and acted as a fence rider yesterday, but he hadn’t found the loose pickets under the back deck. After fixing the broken pickets I returned to my chair on the back porch.

My peaceful morning was then interrupted by an unceasing whine. I went outside to look and found “Tanna” trapped under the front deck. The stupid dog had followed her nose to her personal (can you use personal for a dog?) prison. She was trapped when the crawlspace got smaller and smaller, and she was too dumb to turn around. After much cussing and spitting, I got my electric drill to remove a few decking boards. The instance I started the drill, she turned and pulled herself free. Running from the sound of a power tool is a trick that she learned yesterday when I cranked up my tablesaw.

After cutting a few new pickets and repairing the spot under the deck, I again settled in for a restful moring reading my editorials, but that was not to be. Roux had learned about the pool cover, but “Tanna” hadn’t. She jumped in and walked (if you can call a panicked, wet dog failing across the pool cover walking) and climbed out.

That pretty well did it, the rest of the day the dogs stayed on the back porch and in the back yard. They alternated between laying around in the yard, barking at unheard by any human sounds, and whining at the back door. We let them in the house about 5:30 and they each went to a sofa and went to sleep.

I think I won, after all, who wore out who (or is whom?).

Wonderful Weather! December 10, 2007

“Highs in the 70s and sunny to partly cloudy”, that’s what the weatherman predicts for the next few days in Saraland. Now of course this isn’t perfect, the humidity will be high, but we aren’t wearing snow suits or shoveling snow.

As I look at the weather in “Yankee Land” I understand why “Snowbirds” fly south for the winter.

I think I will cut the grass this afternoon………………………NOT!

This work stuff is for the birds! December 4, 2007

Alan called last week and wanted me to WORK at Bay Paper Company the 3rd through the 7th. Not too much I figured, so off to work I went. Again, this work stuff is for the birds.

I had forgotten how hard “work” was. Sit in front of the computer all day. Making things work correctly. “My printer isn’t working.”, “My screen looks funny.”, “Why does it do this?”, “How can I make it do this?”, “I can’t get on the internet.” Question after question.

Between fixing telephones, making computers work right and putting tags on trucks…………I hate this work stuff!

Is it Friday yet?????

Granny Grumps is up to her old tricks again! November 28, 2007

Where to start? Granny Grumps has given me a list of projects that include;

1) A picket fence across the back yard,
2) Rebuild the retaining wall on the driveway,
3) Build 2 matching chest of drawers for our bedroom,
4) Install crown molding in the “orange” room,
5) Install crown molding in the hallway,
6) Install crown molding in MY bathroom,
7) Replace the floor and wall tile in her bathroom,
6) Remove and redesign the shelves in MY computer room,
7) Repaint MY computer room.

Now the problem, she wants all of the above projects completed NOW!

Not “started”…………”completed”

Guess I better get up and go to work.