Happy Memorial Day

It sure was wonderful to have the extra day off from work this weekend.  I returned to work February 27th, just after the President's Day holiday, after 20 months of unemployment.  It's been a long three month stretch between holidays.  I'm grateful for the relaxing holiday this weekend.  It has been very hot (in the low 90s) and humid here in Northern Virginia.  Looking forward to a cooling off spell headed our way next weekend, woohoo!


Well, let's catch up.  Nothing really new specifically.  I've taken quite a few pictures in my blogging absence to share with you.  We had some visitors through the yard the other day.  Thankfully, they haven't done anymore damage to my hostas.  Sorry it's a little blurry, I was trying to focus fast before they ran off, obviously, they spotted me.

There's a walking group at work that I've joined.  The schedule is Monday, Wednesday and Friday for 30 minutes.  If it is raining, they walk several laps of the perimeter of the 5th and 6th floors and the stairs between.  Here's some of the group as we meet in the lobby of the building before our walk.

And, we're off!  It's roughly about 1.5 miles we walk.  I walk when it is not hot an humid.  I can't walk in the humidity, it is hard for me to breathe.  I continue the elliptical when I get home, whether I walk at work or not.  Here's what it looks like along our route around the office buildings.

I had to get a close up of those flowers, yellow and purple, my favorite colors together!

We pass a small man-made pond, which is muddy, the ducks and geese love it, they're often quacking and squaking around in the water.

A woman at work is also a Zumba instructor.  She is holds a class on Wednesdays after work for 30 minutes - free!

One girl wore her belly dancer bells belt to the class, so cute!

We made the rounds this weekend to get our garden started.  We decided on tomatoes, corn and green beans.  I hope we're successful at all three, we'll see.  The corn and green beans are a first for us.  John loaded up some Miracle Grow garden soil for vegetables and flowers (fingers crossed), hope it works!

We planted four tomato plants, three corn seedlings (stalks?), and one green bean bush (seedlings).  For the next 45 days, only the tomato plants will be visible.  Until the corn and green bean seedlings germinate.

Other parts of the yard are off to a great growing start.  Of course, everything grows in stages.  The peony which looks lovely here when I took the picture about a week ago has now turned brown.  They have a two week bloom life before they die off until next year.

 Here are some other blooms in the yard, I just love this time of year.

While we were out shopping this weekend, we picked up an awning for the back deck.  The umbrella we had wasn't blocking much of the sun.  We got the awning up and it was just too big.  In addition, it was like a sauna sitting under it.  It didn't help that there was NO BREEZE this weekend.

We took down the awning today and returned it.  John does not want anything permanent on the deck (like the Sun Setter advertised on TV that attaches permanently to the eave).  The "someday plan" is to have a screened-in porch built with an extended cement pad/patio for grilling.  Our search continues for the back deck sun blocker.  The deck is back to normal.

I've passed my first 90 days at work.  However, I'm still under the one year probationary period.  My boss has commented my work is excellent, he says he is pleased.  I guess they're going to keep me for awhile.  I hope to hit the one year mark next February.  Work continues to be good, I enjoy the people and the work.

I'm loving all the fruits that have popped up at the grocery store, the latest being my favorite, cherries!  I continue to watch what I eat and exercise.  I haven't made any great strides on my weight loss.  I know I'm on the right track to healthier living.  I've given up almost all processed foods, soda and hard alcohol.  I drink only water (by the gallons :), green tea, and an occasional glass/bottle of red wine.  I need to pay more attention to my carb consumption.  While I do eat only whole wheat bread and pasta, I haven't been journaling my food intake this month.  I'm going start up again in June to keep track of my carbs, especially.

I hope this upcoming week doesn't drag.  Sometimes, weeks with holidays often feel like every day is Monday.  I had a great Memorial Day holiday, hope you did too.  A special thank you to those who have served and are serving in the military as well as a special prayer to those who died for our freedom, you are not forgotten.

Super Moon

Did you see it?  It was cloudy/overcast here with a few breaks in the clouds Saturday night.  I purposely slept in Saturday morning so I could stay awake until 11:35pm just to get the best view.  Since going back to work, I can barely stay awake for the 10pm news each night.  I was disappointed or maybe it was the clouds or the hype.  The moon didn't seem any larger or brighter to me.


I took the first photo below from the front yard.  John said the view from the back yard was clear and it was!  Although, there was no way of keeping the trees out of the picture.  Another 29 years until the Super Moon visits again.  I doubt I'll be around.  I'm glad I got to see this time, even with the clouds.

As they say "no news is good news", so I guess I've got good news.  Job is still going well.  There is a lull once in awhile.  I seek out others to help when the lull hits.  I hate being bored and listening to the minutes tick away. You know how it goes, ten minutes can seem like an hour.


I continue to watch what I'm eating and the portions sizes.  Admittedly, I treated myself to a cheeseburger last Friday from Wendy's on the way home.  I haven't had a cheeseburger since our cookout last Mother's day with John's family.  I savored every bite, delicious.  I'm learning to stop trying to diet, it doesn't work, I yo-yo up and down.  Better to make a lifestyle change and allow treats once in awhile, which isn't cheating, as it would be considered on a diet, as long as I don't abuse the treats.  This allows me to feel that I am not denying myself.  It will probably be the last cheeseburger I will have for awhile.  I have stopped journaling my meals.  I know what a portion size is, I've been measuring them for awhile now.  I continue to wear my pedometer daily and record my steps daily.  I enjoy tracking my progress, especially with the additional walking at work three times a week.


At work, May is Get Healthy month.  On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays there is a 20-30 minute walk around the neighborhood for anyone wants to join.  I brought my tennis shoes on Friday all ready to go, then the heavens opened up with rain bringing with it thunder and lightening.  Instead, participants walked the indoor perimeter of the fifth and sixth floors.  Some also took the stairs twice up and down between the floors.  I skipped the stairs.  I haven't been able to navigate stairs very well since my knee surgery.  I'm okay with that, I'm grateful I can walk.  Each participant gets a ticket when they show up for the walk.  At the end of the month there will be a drawing for an undisclosed prize.  The more tickets one has, the better the chance of winning.  For me, it's fun to participate and get outside for a little exercise with the warmer weather here, the prize is a bonus.  I hope our temps remain in the 70s throughout May.  One note, walk participants forego the 30 minute allotted "lunch time" for the walk.  Employees who participated in the walk eat at their desk after the walk and continue working.


I'm loving the warmer weather is finally getting here.  I'm back to eating salads as a regular nightly meal after working out on the elliptical when I get home.  I know, I go a little overboard on the cherry tomatoes, love 'em!

I took a stroll around the backyard the other day and put down more deer repellent and some treatment to keep the bugs off the hostas.  Those bugs can eat holes in the hostas in no time, making their leaves look like Swiss cheese.  I think the hosta the deer got to is beginning to bounce back or maybe just growing a little larger masking the chomped leaves?

Not sure if the repellent is working, maybe it is.  These two stayed in the woods and didn't come onto our lawn.  Of course, they could see me standing on the back deck camera in hand pointed at them.

The Rhododendrons in the front of the house are in full bloom.  I wish they'd stay like this all year, their color is breathtaking.  I planted one in the back yard which blossomed last year, sadly not this year.

Prince Harry will be in town Washington, DC this week to pick up a humanitarian award for visiting wounded soldiers.  I'm sure he needs another award.  I'm looking across the pond in about 50 days when the Olympics start, I love the Olympics!  So, there you have it.  No real news here, but very happy with life, it's all good.  Hope it's all good in your world too.