Tues 30 Apr

Yesterday Bob brought home a bag from Pauline Pray that had almost the full set of Aunt Dimity books which she said I could keep. I am thoroughly delighted. I baked her some of Donna's Anzac biscuits as a thank you. The only two missing from the set were the two I had already collected in paperback, so all that is missing now is the 20+ pages from the defective copy of Aunt Dimity and the Duke. Someday I'll have to find an intact copy to complete the set. Food: 7:55 am Cheese danish, 101 g blackberries, coffee 12:15 pm 74 g Panera raisin bread w/butter & Bonne Maman berry jam, Light N Fit peach Greek yogurt, med banana 1:15 pm 15 pc chalk licorice 3:00 pm 2 Anzac biscuits 4:30 pm 2 c kettle corn 6:00 pm Aldi meal kit: Moroccan salmon, cauliflower rice, sweet potatoes, 1.5 tbl full fat Greek yogurt Exercise: 9:20-9:30 am Walk to Jefferson 10:35-10:45 am Walk home

Mon 29 Apr

Got out to Mead Wildlife Preserve for a walk yesterday. Turned around when the geese blocked the road so as not to disturb their nesting habitat. I love starting Monday mornings with Angel's Zumba class. She is so energetic and positive that it just starts the week out right. Food: 6:45 am Pecan danish twist, 101 g blackberries, coffee 12:40 pm 2 scrambled eggs, Panera raisin bread w/butter & 1 tbl Bonne Maman berry jam, large orange Exercise: 8:00-8:55 am Zumba class 9:05-9:20 am Treadmill 9:30-10:30 am Body Pump class

Sun 28 Apr

Went down to Madison yesterday and saw Laura's summer sublet as well as helped her to look at four potential properties to buy. One was a throwaway just for comparison, and she will put in an offer on the first one we looked at. It is in the neighborhood of some friends and a very sweet little house with an adorable dragon painted on the walls of the kids' room. She has her financing pre-approved so if the offer is accepted, she may be able to start moving in this summer. Food: 6:15 am Cheese danish, 101 g blackberries, coffee 12L10 pm 78 g Panera raisin bread, 1 tbl Jif, 1 tbl Bonne Maman berry jam, med banana, 6 oz kombucha 3:30 pm 2 k Popcornopolis kettle corn 5:45 pm 1 c whole wheat spaghetti, 3/4 portabella mushroom sauce w/mushrooms, onions, & peppers, poached duck egg Exercise: 7:10-7:30 am Walk to church 8:10-8:30 am Walk home

Sat 27 Apr

Sounds like the winter storm warnings have calmed their dire predictions a bit for Madison. We may still encounter snow and icky weather, but hopefully not blizzards that might prevent our return so I can cantor at 8 am tomorrow. Hopefully we can also help Laura to find some acceptable house options to purchase. I know she's excited. Food: 9:00 am Cherry danish, 101 g blackberries, coffee

Fri 26 Apr

Sun is shining but it's a bit cooler today. Gym and laundry as usual, as we're going to Madison tomorrow to help Laura evaluate possible homes to purchase. Expecting delivery of my two New Zealand guidebooks today. Food: 7:55 am Costco cinnamon roll, 101 g blackberries, coffee 11:55 am Slice Panera raisin bread, 1 tbl Jif, 1 tbl Bonne Maman berry jam, 1/4 med cantaloupe 6:10 pm 4 oz hamburger, bun, 5 slices cucumber, 4 spears grilled asparagus, 8 oz basil mint cider Exercise: 9:00-9:25 am Treadmill 9:30-10:30 am Body Pump class

Thurs 25 Apr

Kathy and I will do a short walk today starting at 8:30. Just got her text reply to my inquiry this morning. Must be frustrating for her that her body no longer tolerates the long walks she did regularly. I hope for her sake (and for mine!) that she recovers again. Food: 7:50 am Costco cinnamon roll, 101 g blackberries, coffee 12:00 pm 78 g Panera craisin bread, 1 tbl JIF, 1 tbl Bonne Maman berry jam, 84 g cucumber slices 1:00 pm 3 macarons 2:15 pm 2 c Popcornopolis kettle corn 5:55 pm Parmesan panko tilapia filet, 1/2 baked sweet potato w/butter, 6 broiled asparagus spears Exercise: 8:30-9:15 am Walk w/Kathy

Wed 24 Apr

Laura has found another potential house in Madison that looks really cute. It's about a block away from where we all stayed for Christmas, has 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and a 2-car garage. Bob recommended that she put in an offer as soon as she can. We'll see what happens. Food: 7:50 am Concha, 101 g blackberries, coffee 11:40 am 2 scrambled eggs, hot cross bun, 1/4 med cantaloupe 4:15 pm 2 pc string cheese 7:45 pm 1 c Quaker Oat Squares, 1/2 c soy milk, slice raisin bread w/mixed berry jam Exercise: 9:00-9:30 am Barre class 9:30-10:30 am Body Pump class 11:10-11:30 am Madison St loop 5:20-7:05 pm Rib hike

Tues 23 Apr

Another lovely sunny day. Was so nice to have our Zumba instructor back yesterday. Eating David's beautiful chocolate brioche bun today. Life is good. Food: 7:40 am Chocolate brioche bun, 101 g blackberries, coffee 12:25 pm 3/4 c 1% cottage cheese, chives, hot cross bun, 3/4 fruit salad Exercise: 9:15-9:25 am Walk to Jefferson school 10:35-10:45 am Walk home 12:40-1:00 pm Walk to St Mike's for meeting

Mon 22 Apr

Laura is 34 today. Sent off her birthday text first thing so it doesn't get missed. I have a committee meeting for the Curriculum Committee of LIFE today; may even leave Body Pump a teeny bit early so I'm not too late to the meeting. I did warn them that I have a class right up til 10:30 so I'd likely be late and he said it would be okay. Temps got up to 81° yesterday unexpectedly. Didn't quite know what to make of being that warm again. Don't expect a repeat performance for awhile. Food: 6:50 am Chocolate croissant, 101 g blackberries, coffee 12:40 pm 2 scrambled eggs, hot cross bun, 1/4 med cantaloupe Exercise: 8:00-8:55 am Zumba class 9:05-9:25 am Treadmill 9:30-10:15 am Body Pump class

Sun 21 Apr

Easter vigil last night was certainly not the same as Newman. It lasted til 11:30, painfully long and drawn out. Music was played too slowly, too long a sermon, and Fr. Steve just drags things on. I have to wonder if anyone went downstairs for refreshments afterward. The only refreshment I wanted at that hour was sleep. Food: 8:20 am Cheese danish, 101 g blackberries, coffee 12:35 pm 1/2 c 1% cottage cheese, .5 tbl fresh chives, 141 g strawberries, hot cross bun Exercise: 10:40-12:30 pm Walk on West Side loop

Sat 20 Apr

Looks be a beautiful sunny spring day and a lovely Easter weekend. Had a very nice drive down to Madison yesterday afternoon and a productive visit to Costco and Woodman's. Today I need to finish the laundry before Easter vigil and plan tomorrow's menu. David was at the market himself today so we had a lovely conversation. He gave us a chocolate brioche bun to split while we talked, fresh and delicious. We both had chocolate on our faces along with big smiles. Also learned that the market will move outside right away after the last indoor market next week, though David is taking one week off for annual cleaning of the bakery. He made hot cross buns today, so I'm well supplied. Food: 7:55 am Nespresso, 2 large strawberries 8:30 am 1/2 chocolate brioche bun 9:10 am Apricot danish, 101 g blackberries, coffee Exercise: 10:50 am-12:50 pm Walk w/Bob along W River Dr Green Circle loop

Fri 19 Apr

Good Friday. Suicide Prevention Coalition meeting this morning, so I won't be going to the gym, but I am going to try to walk to the fire station where it is held today. We plan to go to church for the noon service today, then to go to Costco to pick up some needed items. Don't like to do that on Good Friday, but the alternative is to make tomorrow extremely busy so we decided to go with it. We can still keep our food fast and we have to eat supper tonight anyway so we can choose a meatless meal in Madison just as easily. Laundry will be postponed til tomorrow. Food: 6:50 am Hot cross bun, 100 g blackberries, coffee 11:20 am 1/2 c 1% cottage cheese, 1/2 tbl fresh chives, slice chocolate chip brioche bread, med banana Exercise: 7:40-8:00 am Walk to Firehouse 9:10-9:30 am Walk home

Thurs 18 Apr

Little cooler today, but the rain has stopped so Kathy and I should be able to do a little walking, up to her tolerance level. May go for coffee if she can't walk long. Will be very nice to catch up after a long hiatus. Get my hair cut today also. Food: 7:40 am Hot cross bun, 101 g blackberries, coffee 12:20 pm 2 scrambled eggs, slice chocolate chip brioche bread, 1/3 med cantaloupe Exercise: 9:00-9:15 am Walk with Kathy on Maria Dr.

Wed 17 Apr

Supposed to rain much of the day today, though it won't start til later. Hopefully will stop by late tonight so I can walk with Kathy tomorrow. I have Bootstrap today so the rain shouldn't inconvenience me too much. One month ago today I was attending a beautiful Mass at Notre Dame de Paris. Sigh! Food: 7:40 am Hot cross bun, 101 g blackberries, coffee 9:00-9:30 am Barre class 9:30-10:30 am Body Pump class

Tues 16 Apr

Bob had to pay in a chunk for taxes, but it was not unexpected. Shaken yesterday by the news of Notre Dame cathedral in Paris burning. Very grateful that we were privileged to be there and attend Mass before it was virtually destroyed. Wearing the cross I bought there in remembrance. Food: 7:50 am Hot cross bun, 102 g blackberries, coffee 11:45 am Leftover 1/3 pulled pork sandwich, 1/3 med cantaloupe Exercise: 9:20-9:30 am Walk to Jefferson 10:30-10:40 am Walk home

Mon 15 Apr

Tax day, but we haven't gotten the information back yet from the accountant so Bob will probably need to ask about an extension. I know he's anxious to get the bottom line in case it's bad news for how much is needed to pay in. Michael sent his to the accountant late also, so he will also need to attend to this. Had a good time in Bayfield in spite of not being able to hike due to snow/ice on walking surfaces. Even town walking was limited initially, but better by Saturday afternoon if you sometimes stayed in the streets. As it was, I barely got my 12,000 steps each day. And then the scale was up on my return, hopefully temporarily. Food: 6:50 am Hot cross bun, 101 g blackberries, coffee 11:50 am Slice Omega 3 bread, 2 tbl Jif, 1/3 med cantaloupe 3:15 pm 1 Trader Joe's butter waffle cookie 3:45 pm 1/2 c Quaker Oat Squares 5:35 pm 3/4 c brown rice, 3/4 c Bourbon St chicken, 1 c broccoli Exercise: 8:05-8:50 am Sh'Bam class 9:00-9:25 am Treadmill 9:30-10:30 am Body Pump class

Fri 12 Apr

Well, we will get to see what the weather is like on the drive up to Bayfield this afternoon. I pray that we will be safe. We can leave right after lunch and take our time with the drive. Hopefully we'll get to eat at the Fat Radish at least once, maybe more. Not sure if the weather up there will be conducive to getting out much, but at least into downtown Bayfield. I'm quite looking forward to the Palm Sunday service at the little church in Bayfield. Masstimes.org says they have services at 4 on Sat and 10 on Sun, but we will check the church sign to be sure. Last time we went there, they only had Sat pm service. Food: 7:55 am Concha, 101 g blackberries, coffee 11:55 am Small bowl leek & potato soup, 38 g Italian bread, med banana Exercise: 9:00-9:15 am Treadmill 9:30-10:30 am Body Pump class

Thurs 11 Apr

Snow came as forecast, and it looks like there may be as much as 6 inches down out there, but it's also blowing around a lot. Should be switching to (freezing) rain soon here, but should continue as snow through tomorrow on the way to Bayfield. Will make the drive interesting. Today for laundry and the first meeting of the Walk for Hope committee. Food: 7:55 am Honey bear pastry, 101 g blackberries, coffee 12:50 pm Leek & potato soup, med banana 3:15 pm 1 TJ's Butter Waffle cookie 4:30 pm 1/4 mixed nuts 5:40 pm 86 g roast pork, 1 c roasted potatoes & veggies

Wed 10 Apr

My victory on the scale is temporarily erased today, but the meal at Michele's last night was pretty salty so I'm not surprised. High hopes for later in the week if I can continue to be good. Snow expected tonight and tomorrow, followed by a lot of rain. I'll be surprised if Kathy and I can resume our walking this week. Maybe a get together for coffee. Food: 7:40 am Chocolate brioche roll, 101 g blackberries, coffee 1210 pm Slice Omega 3 bread, 1 tbl Jif, 1 tbl homemade raspberry jam, med banana, Belgian chocolate probiotic Exercise: 9:00-9:30 am Barre class 9:30-10:30 am Body Pump class

Tues 9 Apr

Changed my photos screensaver to encompass my whole photo library, so it shows randomized shots from as recent as the Paris trip back through the years of other travels or home shots. I can easily get drawn in to watching for 10 minutes at a time, trying to identify where shots were taken. It's fun. Food: 7:50 am Chocolate croissant, 101 g blackberries, coffee 12:10 pm 2 fried eggs, med banana, Aldi Mini-brioche Exercise: 9:20-9:30 am Walk to Jefferson school 10:30-10:40 am Walk home

Mon 8 Apr

Choir concerts finished for another season, and I was comfortable with the performances in general. We told Larry that we will be gone to NZ from early November until immediately before the Christmas concerts, and he is still willing to let us learn the music in the months before we leave and rejoin the choir for performances. Had nice conversation with Larry and Marcia at Hilltop after the last performance. Nasty sudden, fairly sharp pain in the heart area near the very end of Body Pump. Hopefully just a strained muscle. Food: 6:50 am Cheese danish, 101 g blackberries, coffee 12:15 pm 1 slice Omega 3 bread, 1 tbl Jif, orange 3:15 pm 1/4 c kettle corn, 1 TJ's graham cracker 5:35 pm 5 oz pork roast, 1 1/2 c potatoes & vegetables Exercise: 8:10-8:55 am Sh'Bam class 9:05-9:25 am Treadmill 9:30-10:30 am Body Pump class

Sun 7 Apr

Good-sized crowd last night at Good Shepherd for the concert, including Barb Towey who just got back from Arizona on Thursday. The congregation, including Barb Clementi, put on a lovely little intermission social with homemade cookies and beverages. Concert went fairly well. Last one today at Frame at 2. Food: 8:10 am Gibassier, 101 g blackberries, coffee 11:50 am 2 scrambled eggs, slice Omega 3 toast Exercise: 9:10-9:50 am Walk to church and around neighborhood 11:20-11:40 am walk home

Sat 6 Apr

I was reasonably satisfied with our first concert last night. There was someone in the audience named Glenn from Oshkosh who knew my name but couldn't remember exactly where he knew me from. I thought he was the Glenn that had been in my PASS training many, many years ago and had seen his first deer on the road to Wis Rapids with the group early in the morning, but he didn't really seem to recognize the story so I think he was someone else. Food: 9:15 pm Apricot danish, 101 g blackberries, coffee 1:05 pm Slice leftover veggie pizza, 1/2 extra large banana, slice chocolate cake 3:30 pm 2 c Popcornopolis kettle corn 5:45 pm 1 drumstick, 1/2 c potatoes & vegetables Exercise: 11:15 am Jessica Smith Cardio no-equip video 12:50 pm Jessica Smith Lower Body circuit video

Fri 5 Apr

Choir rehearsal was okay last night; Woodlands has a very nice auditorium space for us. Concerts are all in town this time, and no snowstorms on the radar. Hope it all goes well. Food: 7:45 am 1 c Quaker Oat Squares, 1/2 c soy milk, 101 g blackberries, coffee

Thurs 4 Apr

Dress rehearsal for choir concert tonight. Charlie Hartman's birthday. Chatted with a Macs Adventure specialist last night who promised to email me a general quote including a couple of extra nights, one of which will allow a tour of Hobbiton. Food: 7:55 am 1 c Quaker Oat Squares, 1/2 c soy milk, 101 g blackberries, coffee 12:45 pm Slice Omega 3 bread, 1 tbl Jif, 1 tbl homemade raspberry jam, 1/2 extra large banana 3:00 pm 2 c Popcornopolis kettle corn 5:30 pm 2 drumsticks, 1 c roasted potatoes & veggies Exercise: 9:05-11:05 am Walk around Schmeeckle lake 2:30-3:15 pm Walk to library

Wed 3 Apr

I can't believe it, but we booked our airfare to New Zealand last night! I opened the Air New Zealand site to see what we would be looking at for costs, and they were running a sale from Chicago to New Zealand (that ended Apr 2) and which was less than half the fare that they would charge if we booked for January. We decided to go ahead and book, giving ourselves a couple extra days beyond what we'd need to complete the Macs itinerary so we can hopefully add in a visit to Hobbiton. I left a message on Macs to ask about adding in Hobbiton to this itinerary, so hopefully I'll hear back from them soon and finalize that portion of the trip as well. We will go Nov 6-Dec 4, so we'll probably skip the Mpls trip this year. Food: 7:50 am 1 c Quaker Oat Squares, 1/2 c soy milk, 101 g blackberries, coffee 12:20 pm 1 slice Omega 3 bread, 1 tbl Jif, 1/2 extra large banana 4:15 pm 2 c kettle corn Exercise: 9:00-9:30 am Barre class 9:30-10:30 am Body Pump class

Tues 2 Apr

Light dusting of snow on grass and rooftops this morning, but temps should be over 50° today so it should disappear. Need to walk down to the Armory after tutoring today to vote as I didn't get to the courthouse early. Bob suggested we look into a weekend at the Rittenhouse with a special they sent out for $119/night. Had him make the initial call but they will get back to me today. Food: 7:50 am 1 c Quaker Oat Squares, 1/2 c soy milk, 101 g blackberries, coffee

Mon 1 Apr

Did not appreciate April beginning with bugs. Not one but two large spiders in places on the walls so high or in corners that I couldn't get at them with the flyswatter so I had to bear their company throughout my morning ablutions. Not pleasant. Oh, well. Summer approaches. Food: 6:50 am Concha, 101 g blackberries, coffee 12:25 pm 2 scrambled eggs, Thomas English muffin w/butter, 1/2 extra large banana Exercise: 8:00-8:45 am Sh'Bam Class 9:00-9:25 am Treadmill 9:30-10:30 am Body Pump class