Sat 31 Aug

Getting ready to leave for Minneapolis for fair weekend. Got my free dessert coupon from Highland Grill, so that will likely be our lunch spot. We have a Living Social voucher for a winery tour this afternoon, and after church, we will go to check out Kurt & Barb's new house and have dinner with them this evening. Tomorrow - the fair! It's supposed to be slightly less hot tomorrow which should be much appreciated at the fair. No coffee filters left in the cupboard or anywhere in the house, so a coffee-free morning. Food: 7:30 am 1 c Trader Joe's multigrain flaxseed cereal, 1/2 c light original soy milk, 151 g strawberries, 100 g blackberries

Fri 30 Aug

Nice surprise this morning from Goosecross. I had gone on the website to look at ordering 2-3 more bottles of the chenin blanc for Dad to give me for my birthday. When I went to the checkout, shipping on two bottles was more than the cost of a third bottle so I decided against ordering. Goosecross emailed me to see why I left the order in the cart, so I politely replied to let them know that shipping costs were high enough to prevent me from ordering but I thanked them kindly for their wonderful attention when we stopped in to taste. This morning, they replied and offered me a one-time chance to order 1-6 bottles for a flat $20 with a 10% discount to boot. I went right back on the website and ordered 4 bottles of the chenin blanc for my birthday present and thanked them kindly. Food: 6:45 am Last Oregon peach, 99 g blackberries, coffee 11:30 am Vanilla soy shake, slice 12 grain toast, 1 tbl almond butter, 156 g strawberries 6:00 pm 5 cheese fries, small pear, 12 cherry tomatoes, 5 oz chenin blanc Exercise: 4:50-5:30 am Brand New Butt DVD 5:30-6:05 am Cardio Salsa DVD 8:00-8:45 pm Walk with Dad

Thurs 29 Aug

Tummy didn't feel well last night in the middle of the night. I was starving after our hike and snarfled down my pulled pork sandwich and onion strings, possibly too fast for my stomach to handle. Hopefully I'm okay now, though still slightly tentative. Did my exercise video, but with a bit less energy than it asked of me. Feeling pretty much back to normal now. Food: 6:45 am 1 c Trader Joe's multigrain flaxseed cereal, 1/2 c light vanilla soy milk, Oregon peach, 99 g blackberries, coffee 11:30 am Peach soy shake, last crust cinnamon raisin struan bread, 1 tsp soft margarine, large banana, 2 oz light vanilla soy milk 4:15 pm 100 cal Snapea pack 6:15 pm 5 oz chenin blanc from Goosecross in Napa 6:30 pm 4.65 oz grilled pork chop, 1/2 c grilled corn, 1/4 tbl butter, 1/2 c grilled fingerling potatoes w/Vidalia onion, garlic, drizzle olive oil Exercise: 4:50-5:40 am DWTS dance exercise DVD

Wed 28 Aug

This week seems to be passing fairly quickly. Still a little struggle to get up and exercise in the mornings. Two weeks off with just exercise from hiking is showing in the difficulty to do strength exercises and other movement that has rested too long. Not so difficult that I can't still do it, but more perceived exertion. Food: 6:45 am 1 c Trader Joe's multigrain flaxseed cereal, 1/2 c light vanilla soy milk, Oregon peach, 96 g blackberries, coffee 11:45 am Peach soy shake, 2 slices cinnamon raisin struan toast, 1 tsp soft margarine, 101 g black grapes 4:45 pm 1 Fit & Active fruit crisp 7:30 pm Pulled pork sandwich, lettuce, tomato, bun, large pile onion strings, 8 oz wheat beer Exercise: 4:50-5:40 am The Firm Bootcamp DVD 9:30-10:30 am Walk with client 5:45-7:05 pm Hiking part of Rib

Tues 27 Aug

Not so bad getting back into routine - yet. Less difficult to get up and exercise this morning. Musician's meeting tonight at Newman to go over fall music. Food: 6:45 am 1 c Trader Joe's multigrain flaxseed cereal, 1/2 c light vanilla soy milk, Oregon peach, 102 g blackberries, coffee 12:00 pm Blueberry soy shake, 2 slices cinnamon raisin struan toast, 1 tsp soft margarine, 104 g black grapes 3:30 pm Single Nature Valley Oats N Honey granola bar 5:00 pm 2 svgs Lipton To Go Green Tea w/Mandarin 5:30 pm Trident salmon burger, onion bun, 1 tbl peach vidalia onion salsa, Mott's peach/apple sauce cup, 12 oz skim milk Exercise: 4:50-5:45 am Cardio Dance DVD

Mon 26 Aug

Back to work today for the last week of August, a month I don't really remember even starting. Minnesota State Fair this upcoming weekend, and a 3-day weekend to boot. Thinking about a possible visit to Madison the weekend of Sept 7 if you'll be around. Hard to get up at 4:30 today to exercise, but felt okay once I started. Did have to cut Jane Fonda a little short due to a slightly late start and not wanting to go late to work right after vacation. Ran into Jim and Linda Moore coming out of a meeting when we were walking. The last we had heard, Jim sounded to be in very poor health, possibly on his last legs, so it was excellent to see him up and about. He does look quite frail, but otherwise good. He told Dad, "It's the first time I've seen you with your grey hair!" Food: 6:45 am 1 c Trader Joe's multigrain flaxseed cereal, 1/2 c light vanilla soy milk, Oregon peach, 102 g blackberries, coffee 11:45 am Strawberry/banana soy shake, 2 slices cinnamon raisin struan bread, 1 tsp soft margarine, 102 g black grapes 3:15 pm 100 cal Snapeas 4:45 pm 1 square Lindt Coffee Blast bar 6:15 pm 4.25 oz burger, .5 oz chèvre, .5 tbl ketchup, onion bun, .5 c caramelized onions, med cob corn, .5 tsp olive oil, 12 oz skim milk Exercise: 4:55-5:50 am Jane Fonda Complete Workout 7:00-8:15 pm Walk with Dad to Schmeeckle and back

Sun 25 Aug

We are safely home and I will try to find the rhythm of my home routines again. Feels strange to know that Michael is in Oregon for an extended time and not here just down the street. He (and friends) did spend some time in the house while we're gone, so he will still have a presence today as we clean up and put things to rights. Bottle caps are turning up all over the house. Overall, he didn't leave too much of a mess, but it is somewhat comforting to know he was here. Vacation was great! I plan to try to write on my Wandering blog as soon as possible before I lose too many of the details. We had too much fun and were tired at the end of each day, and internet access was often spotty to non-existent so I didn't attempt to keep up while we traveled. Today we do church and visit Grandma. She had a little excitement while we were gone. She was having some shortness of breath just before we left and an xray done at the home showed some fluid on her lungs. Luckily the doctor didn't completely trust the home xray service and requested she go to the hospital for a second check. Since I wasn't around to accompany her, it sounds like Melanie from Whispering Pines met her there for support. That xray showed much less reason for concern, only a small amount of fluid in the bottom of the lungs that could be treated with three days on water pills. They also left me several messages that her breathing sounded much better and she was relieved that the xray showed no reason for concern. We'll get the update today. Felt REALLY good to get back into morning exercise today. I'm not looking forward to weighing in after vacation as I feel like I did put on a little weight. We hiked on 5 out of 15 traveling days, but we ate quite well though not excessive quantities. I just feel a little thicker, possibly because the workouts were not as varied using all body muscles as I usually do. It felt good to concentrate on core during ballet, stretch all muscles including feet, and move a little more quickly during the dance DVD. Good all-veggie supper tonight - grilled Blue Top corn and grilled golden beets with a side of Ginger Woodchuck. Yum! Food: 8:15 am 1 c Trader Joe's multigrain flaxseed cereal, 1/2 c light vanilla soy milk, Oregon peach, coffee 11:45 am 2 eggs over easy, 1 slice French toast, 1/2 tbl whipped butter, 1/2 tbl pancake syrup, 3 slices bacon, coffee 4:30 pm 1 1/2 c watermelon chunks 6:30 pm 2 cobs grilled sweet corn w/olive oil, 1 c grilled golden beets w/olive oil, 6 oz ginger Woodchuck Exercise: 6:50-7:40 am Ballet DVD 7:40-8:10 am Cardio Dance DVD

Thurs 15 Aug

Still having a wonderful time. We spent 3 nights at Kitty's. I felt sorry for her as she has had a houseful of company for much too long. Rose has been there with Gabe and Ariel, Frankie on and off, for at least 2-3 weeks now with no definite end date in sight. When we arrived, one of Gabe's aunts on his dad's side was there with two small boy cousins. Kitty was full up with little kids over-running her house, making messes, and generally ignoring house rules. She seemed glad of adult company. We went on a walk with her, out to eat with just Haden after his football practice, and to their Parade of Homes to help her escape kiddie land. This morning we drove down to Newport. Bought some local apricots and peaches at a fruit stand and picked more blackberries. Had lunch with Val and Kate at Mo's Chowder House. We have a great hotel room with a fireplace and a balcony right over the beach. We picked up steamers and fried razor clams to eat in the room looking out on the ocean. The hotel had fresh hot cookies at 8:00 pm. Just winding down now with a warm fire and the sound of the ocean.

Mon 12 Aug

Today we move on to Kitty's. glacier has been an excellent beginning for our vacation. Once again, the breakfast was delicious. Some of the better pancakes I have eaten. I appreciate that they regularly wipe the condensation from the steam table lids so the food doesn't get soggy. Also that the fruit salad appears fresh cut each morning.

Sun 11 Aug

Have been too tired to blog the last few days ( and am pushing it now) but wanted to remember the great days we have had at Glacier. Friday we found our funky little hotel which is in a high-end resort area in Whitefish, MT. We are right next door to a fancier resort with the excellent restaurant I had read about on the Web. Friday we splurged on the 5- course tasting menu that was fabulous. After dinner we crashed from the long day. Saturday we had an excellent breakfast at our hotel, bought lunch fixings at the local Safeway, then drove into the park. We stopped at the visitor center for hike recommendations and bought bear spray. Our hike for today was at a park entrance over an hour's drive away. We hiked to Scenic Point which took about 5 hours including a lunch break but was absolutely beautiful. It had fairly high elevation so we were pretty tired by the end. On the long drive back, I finally got to use a bathroom after about 8 hours since my previous visit. We happened upon church that had just started so we were able to get to Mass that evening. We came back to the hotel and walked next door to eat in the bar. I had an elk burger with fried rosemary and sage fries. Sunday we again had a great breakfast, got lunch things from Safeway, and drove I through the nearest park entrance. We drove on the Going To The Sun highway to Logan Pass and hiked the Piegan Pass trail. It was slightly longer but slightly less steep with no less spectacular views. Dinner in the bar again after a beer in the Lake McDonald Lodge in the park.

Fri 9 Aug

Vacation is finally here! We are on track to get out the door by 4:30 am. We'll probably nosh our morning buns on the drive to Madison and I have a container of blackberries as well. We fly out at 7:20 and get to Mpls at 8:20 for a 3-hour layover, so we'll have a nice second breakfast there. We'll do a small lunch in Great Falls after we pick up our luggage and car and we have dinner reservations tonight at a great-sounding restaurant in Whitefish.

Thurs 8 Aug

Managed to get my shaving/grooming activities squeezed in to the weekday morning routine so I'm ready for a 2-week trip. Last laundry is folded downstairs so tonight is final packing. I'd like to have as much in the car as possible so we are ready to get on the road at 5 am or even before. Our flight leaves from Madison at 7:25 am. That might be pushing it so maybe we'll try to leave between 4:30-4:45 to be safe. Food: 6:45 am 1 c Trader Joe's multigrain flaxseed cereal, 1/2 c light vanilla soy milk, 150 g blueberries, coffee 10:15 am Marble cake w/frosting (retirement) 12:30 pm Strawberry/banana soy shake, slice 12 grain bread, 54 g oven roasted chicken breast, 3 sm lettuce leaves, 30 raspberries off the bush 4:00 pm 100 cal Snapeas 5:45 pm Rocky's sausage mushroom slice, Starlight mint 7:45 pm 30 g Benton Kid's Animal Crackers Exercise: 4:50-5:50 am DWTS DVD

Wed 7 Aug

Michael found a couple of old savings bonds that were made out to Grandma or her mother from 1959, one for $25 and one for $100. I checked their value on line and they are worth about $925 together. I'm hoping the bank is able to cash them in to put the money in Grandma's account. Reminds me that I need to make sure her bills are up to date before I go. Food: 6:45 am 1/8 cherry crisp, 150 g blueberries, coffee 12:00 pm Peach soy shake, slice 12 grain bread, 59 g oven-roasted chicken breast, 2 sm lettuce leaves, 124 g blueberries 2:30 pm Kit Kat fun size bar 4:45 pm Easy chicken biryani (last of leftovers), 1 1/2 c watermelon chunks, 12 oz skim milk Exercise: 4:50-5:25 am Cardio dance DVD 5:25-5:53 am Jane Fonda Workout with Weights video 5:15-5:30 pm Walk to haircut 7:30-7:45 pm Walk home

Tues 6 Aug

The days tick by inexorably. Vacation approaches.... I have a slight headache today. It hasn't really disappeared with food as I had hoped, so I guess I'll indulge in ibuprofen before I go to work. Cherry crisp is really good for breakfast. Had fun making dinner tonight. Made my burgers for the grill with a Babybel inside. Didn't tell Dad until it oozed on him while eating. Food: 6:45 am 1/8 cherry crisp, 150 g blueberries, coffee 12:30 pm Blueberry soy shake, slice 12 grain bread, 1 tbl PB, 125 g blueberries 1:15 pm 1/4 Kwik Trip frosted brownie 4:00 pm 100 cal pack Snapeas 5:45 pm 3.75 oz extra lean ground beef, Babybel lite, 1 tbl ketchup, onion bun, salad w/garden lettuce, kale, & 7 raspberries, 12 oz skim milk Exercise: 4:50-5:45 am Cardio Dance DVD 5:50-6:25 pm Walk long way to Michael's 8:20-8:35 pm Walk home

Mon 5 Aug

Found out that drinking several cups of high-test coffee for lunch after not having done so for a long time does not make for a good night's sleep. Hopefully the caffeine effect will stay long enough to get me through today. Half hour nap helped somewhat but still tired this afternoon. Mindlessly grabbed a Twizzlers but it didn't really help. The walk, however, woke me up well. I got enough steps to earn some extra calories so I scarfed down the chocolate covered pretzel stick I had bought at Brennan's a short time ago. What a treat! I feel badly that we were going to try to hike, albeit with a late start because we weren't sure until about 5:15 pm whether we were going back to Michael's to work on the garage tonight or tomorrow. Then Mary Gaedtke came over with this year's crop of blueberries (delicious!) It would have been 5:45 before we hit the road. We had decided to go to Waupaca and hike a bit there, then hit the Wheel House for pizza, but I got completely suited up in hiking clothes and just couldn't resist laying down on the couch to wait for Dad. I realized I really didn't have the oomph to get up and go hiking. Dad was fine with staying home and eating leftover biryani. Whatta guy! Taking the opportunity of an unplanned evening at home to bake a batch of the Door Co cherries into a crisp. This way we'll even have plenty of time to eat it before we leave. I got enough steps in on my walks today and ate relatively light, even considering the pretzel treat, that I have a little calorie room left to have a piece when it's done. Food: 6:45 am 1 c Trader Joe's multigrain flaxseed cereal, 1/2 c light vanilla soy milk, 105 g blueberries, coffee 11:45 am Strawberry/banana soy shake, Fit & Active wrap, 2 slices turkey, 1 slice Jarlsberg Lite, 3 sm lettuce leaves 12:30 pm 25 g frosted Kwik Trip brownie 1:00 pm 1 strawberry Twizzlers 4:00 pm Chocolate caramel covered large pretzel stick 5:30 pm 1/2 c blueberries (while chatting with Mary G) 6:00 pm Easy chicken biryani, 1/2 c blueberries, 12 oz skim milk Exercise: 4:50-6:00 am Jane Fonda Complete Workout video 2:35-3:35 pm Walk with client

Sun 4 Aug

I'm tired this morning, not sure why. Got adequate sleep. We had a wonderful long walk with Hartman's yesterday evening. We went to the Mead Wildlife area and were treated to a close-up view of sandhill cranes when our path crossed their turf. Followed up with jerk-seasoned Ski's brats on the grill and shared beers (including some Surly Bender). Kathy's homemade key lime pie was a great button to the evening. Tried the Mayan seasoned hot cereal this morning with Door Co cherries, and since it actually benefits from a little sweetening, I tried the almond milk again and it was perfect. Now I found a good source to use it. Grandma had two vases of flowers and two balloons as well as a package of beautiful big chocolate chip cookies in her room, residuals of her birthday. She said she had a really nice birthday and seemed happy. Sunday afternoons are perfect for a little nap. Made some progress on packing and organizing for trip. Food: 8:30 am 2/3 c Earnest Eats Mayan hot cereal, protein powder, 1/2 c Door Co Cherries, 2 oz almond milk, 102 g blueberries, coffee 11:45 am Scrambled egg whites w/spinach & mushrooms, toasted English muffin w/butter, orange marmalade, cantaloupe slice, pineapple slice, apple wedge, lettuce leaf, coffee 1:30 pm 1/3 chocolate chip cookie w/Grandma 3:00 pm 1 c King Cone ice cream (caramel brownie & chocolate triple threat) 7:15 pm 2 eggs over easy, French hash brown patty Exercise: 6:50-7:40 am Ballet DVD 7:40-8:10 am Cardio Dance DVD 6:15-7:00 pm Walk with Dad

Sat 3 Aug

I made oatmeal with Door Co Cherries today and thought I'd try almond milk instead of soy milk. It made the oatmeal really oversweet. Not nearly as enjoyable. I know it wasn't the cherries because I had the same oatmeal with cherries and soy milk earlier in the week. Going to Hartman's for a cookout today and we're all going to walk together on the Green Circle first. Finally killed the growler of Sprecher's root beer from this spring. Not much fizz left, but still tasty. Food: 8:00 am Laura's oatmeal with flaxseed meal, protein powder, 1/2 c Door Co cherries, almond milk, 105 g blueberries, coffee 11:30 am Small portion duck stir fry from Christian's w/sobe noodles & veggies, 2 c watermelon chunks, 1/2 c Door Co cherries, 10 oz skim milk 2:30 pm 6 oz Sprecher's root beer Exercise: 9:00-9:10 am Walk to Michael's 10:30-10:40 am Walk home

Fri 2 Aug

Hoping to get out for a hike tonight as we haven't done so yet this week, even though most nights we've gotten a nice walk in town. Food: 6:45 am 1 c Trader Joe's multigrain flaxseed cereal, 1/2 c light vanilla soy milk, 1/2 grapefruit, 104 g blueberries, coffee 11:30 am Peach soy shake, Fit & Active flatbread, 2 slices turkey, 1 slice Jarlsberg Lite, 2 sm lettuce leaves, peach 2:30 pm 100 cal pack Snapeas 8:00 pm 12 oz KrystalWeizen beer, 6 oz pan-fried walleye, 1/2 c French hash browns, 1 c green beans, beer bread roll, 1/2 pat butter 9:15 pm 55 g frosted Kwik Trip brownie Exercise: 4:50-5:25 am Brand New Butt DVD 5:25-5:45 am Kick DVD 5:25-7:35 pm Hiking Rib Mt plus tower

Thurs 1 Aug

Got a new dance DVD last night at Dunhams - Dancing with the Stars. As opposed to the other dance DVDs I have, this one is led by actual dancers who set a faster pace and don't explain their steps in as much detail. I could follow it, but was exhausted by the end. Doesn't help when you're tired getting up in the first place. Feeling particularly sleepy this noon. Will eat quickly to maximize nap time. Food: 6:45 am 1 c Trader Joe's multigrain flaxseed cereal, 1/2 c light vanilla soy milk, 1/2 grapefruit, 99 g blueberries, coffee 11:45 am Peach soy shake, slice 12 grain bread, 1 tbl PB, peach 12:30 pm 1 dark chocolate sea salt caramel 3:00 pm Small 1" square krispie treat w/Pebbles cereal 6:45 pm Easy chicken biryani, 12 oz skim milk, mint ice cream sandwich Exercise: 4:50-5:45 am DWTS DVD