*Ahem* (tap tap tap) Is thing on?

Once again, time has slipped away from me. Talk about commitment issues. I guess I am just not cut out to be a bloggess whose writings everyone clamors to read. Le sigh.

Stuff is getting.....normal. Mom is able to care for herself more - though she will need to recover from staying with my sister the past 2 weeks after the birth of my sweet nephew.  Sis is doing great, though, and that is a good thing.

Great weather today - blustery, truly roaring in like a lion. Let's hope it goes out like a lamb!

All about beans

I'm  trying something new. I will be crock potting various beans for use thru the winter.  Black beans, pinto beans, navy beans, kidney beans. I am also going to work on planning weekly meals better. That way I am not scrambling to figure out what's for dinner at 4:30, when there is not enough time to fridge thaw meat or make bread.

What goes around....

The calendar pages turn way too fast. What seems like last week is actually 8 months ago. Since then, we have been crazy busy.
The diet went OK. It was getting tough to hit plateaus while Z dropped pounds without hardly trying. But I got to where I was feeling good and looking at the finish line.
Then, my in-laws were in a motorcycle accident. The next 6 weeks were a blur - round the clock care for m-i-l as she was laid up with broken bones and a knee open to the bone. This meant she was on IV antibiotics EVERY 6 HOURS. I did not get a lot of good quality sleep, as we took turns caring for her. My f-i-l was able to have surgery to repair his shattered clavicle, and then it was another 4 weeks before he could go back to work. Talk about cabin fever. He had it bad!
Things gradually improved - m-i-l could start getting up and around, and was going to PT, then she developed DVT and PE. Here come the blood thinners. Finally able to get a skin graft on her knee, she now awaits the final appointment for the results on the healing.
Meanwhile, my own mother was in and out of the hospital over a couple of weeks due to GI bleeding. They never found the cause, but she was informed she has high blood pressure and is now on meds for that. Plus she does not feel like herself still. No energy, and she has to lay down and rest a lot.
So this year has not gone as planned, though we didn't have any major plans, a lot of our time has revolved around taking care of family. I am so thankful I don't have to work on top of this!

Changes

So we have started a weight loss program. For the next 26 weeks we will be eating from a strict plan. Not overly strict, but strict enough. The first week is always the toughest - eating meat and GREEN veggies, and drinking more water. The full, sloshly feeling is not always pleasant. Nor the increased trips to the bathroom. But, in the end, it will be worth it to feel better and be able to wear a new old wardrobe!

Color

One of my favorite things about fall is the changing of the leaves. True, south Texas has a lot of evergreens -oak, pine, magnolia - but we do have our share of deciduous. I don't know what they are all called, but I do like the ornamental pears. I love the red leaves as we get deeper into the season.

We transplanted one from my parents' yard a couple of years ago. It wasn't much more than a seedling. Last year is was still growing. This year, it looks like a real tree, and I have high hopes for it changing color.

Five years ago, we planted a red maple and green ash in the back yard. I didn't do my homework on the maple. The red just referred to the stems and new leaf buds. They just turn yellow and fall off, instead of the beautiful orange and red other maples go. The ash has turned out to be a good tree. It is growing well and will give good shade in a few more years. It even survived the dogs stripping the bark off the trunk!

Just around the corner...

is fall. At least, I hope. Every season is my favorite when it is up and coming. Right now, that means fall. Autumn. And that means cooler weather, relatively, and changing leaves, hopefully, and the fast approaching holidays.

what is a blog, anyway?

sure, i'm on facebook, twitter (when i can remember my password) and another blog site, but what is a blog? for me, it's somewhere to write out the musings of my mind, which often seem more interesting before i put them down in black and white.....but as with most things, i don't seem to follow thru.

meh.