C.J. Cherryh's Blog, page 31
March 30, 2016
We live on a corner. We have had a fence…
A nice fence, yes. For a year or more. Got it for a wedding gift to each other.
And yesterday, a ring of the bell and a nice lady wanted to know where we got it.
We told her, told her how much, gave her the tour…
Three some hours later, a young man rings the bell, admires our fence and wants to know where we got it…
I swore if there was another in one day, I’m loading the gun. This is getting weird.
March 28, 2016
Just back from Seattle…Tired!
Good trip, nice visits, now our own beds, and no need to get up early.
March 22, 2016
Buds are bursting forth, and it’s trying to snow.
It’s not doing very well at it, but it’s dropping granular stuff that I’m unsure whether to call hail or sleet, and it’s white coming down, but liquid when it hits dirt.
I have the feeling there’s a layer of cold air sent to us off the heights at Snoqualmie, and that in the Cascades and the Selkirks it is indeed snowing.
Last night we were surprised by a burst of thunder—it almost never thunders in Spokane—and a burst of sideways torrential Oklahoma-style rain. Then it stopped.
Spring in Spokane. I recall on Bloomsday, the first of May, first time we did the race, it was sunny starting; then it rained, and as the cross-city race hit the heights it first hailed, then snowed on us, then as we came down it rained again and I think we finished in sun.
It was Bloomsday, third running, that gave me the notion that running is far more hazardous than ice-skating—got some very unhappy injuries…then of course I went back onto the ice the next day and in sheer fatigue, thought I’d lifted my foot properly in a crossover, but didn’t set it down clear—blades locked together on a fast curve and I took the worst ice fall I’ve ever taken. Usually you can mitigate a fall. Not when your blades lock. Owie. I still feel that one on certain mornings.
On which topic, I happened on a curious fix for general pain. I watched this commercial for a product called Quell, which seems to be a patellar band with a TENS (electrical shock) unit attached that claims to relieve pain, including neuromuscular pain, that burning-all-over-body pain, sort of like plugging a generator into one socket to enliven all the sockets on that circuit. I thought—wonder if its the shock—or the band.
So I hauled out the one of mine I could find, put it on, and lo, the pain markedly diminished, really markedly. I kind of live with the kind of pain often identified as fibromyalgia, but I don’t have some of the other symptoms, so I think what I’ve got is just a highly insulted nervous system that is constantly on the alert for pain; and also what I’ve got is ankles that want to knock in (the Vionic shoes help that) and knees that try to do the same. And that may be the source of much of the pain—sort of like that generator plugin that enlivens the whole circuit—you get to hurting in a particular major nerve and kind of hurt all over as the pain-chemical production just kind of goes over-enthusiastic. I don’t know if it’s the same as the Quell people, but I’m suspecting that for me, at least, sloppy patellar tracking (ie my knee doesn’t flex accurately: the patella is supposed to aim between big toe and second toe, and mine is inward of the big toe if not corrected.) And if I have to stand for any length of time, I hurt all over. At any rate, I’m scrounging up the other of the two patellar bands I have, just to see if it helps. It would be so very nice if it did. The shoes thing ‘cured’ the sciatica. if a band just below the knee could cure that all-over burning muscle pain, I would be so happy. We will see.
March 21, 2016
Car washing…it hadda be…
Poor car’s been pent up with the laminate sawing and run through de-icer. So my contribution to spring was a trip to the carwash, 2 dollars worth of vacuum-time, and an Armorall kit to get the dash and such.
Toyota’s made a pretty good job of designing a car that stays pretty clean, but hemlock needles are a pest. They stick to your feet and get into the carpet, and there you are. Lots and lots of hemlock needles.
Managed the job without a coat. It’s warming up out there.
March 20, 2016
Taking today off…at least from yard work.
Sore, yes.
And neither of us could quite wake up this morning.
This is a good clue that allergy plays some part in our laziness. Took Allertec, and hope for a brain later.
March 19, 2016
We have moved a rose bush and a tub-sized blue spruce today…
WE are sore…
Owie.
But it had to be done. One thing about a garden—if something isn’t working, it needs to move. And that spruce was getting too big for the corner spot.
March 17, 2016
St Paddy’s Day…the beginning of Spokane’s spring…
China blue skies and calm breeze. Every year we’ve been here, St. Paddy’s Day has marked the end of the last snow piles…this year we’re ahead of schedule, but it’s been a wild winter, as those following this may remember.
Last night we took Wiishu and Pookie to the Swinging Doors for some quite good pipers and drummers and dancers, followed by a good corned beef and cabbage dinner; we had supper with Tim and Cheryl–who arrived with great news, that they’ve just gotten a house. They’ve been renting. SO it was a celebratory evening all round.
I put on two pounds. But, hey, easy come, easy go on that sort of weight. I just behave myself today and the body will take the cue. The salt level on the corned beef is probably not innocent.
March 14, 2016
Well, working well for me, but not for Jane. So we may have to cut back further.
Sigh. Usually we’re on the same page, but this won’t do. And she’s been very careful to adhere to the diet.
March 13, 2016
The diet’s working well…I haven’t increased activity and…down 6 in 8 days.
The diet is counter-intuitive. We eat so much we can’t possibly lose. We eat at 8 am, 10 am, 12-1 am, 3 pm, 4 -6 pm and 9 pm [time is uncertain on some] and yet drop weight. This started with the Nutrisystem box from Walmart, but we’ve continued once we ran out of Nutrisystem food.
Here’s what we’re doing.
Breakfast: a tiny seedcake, or 1 oz cereal like Special K with 1 oz no-fat milk, or a shake or a diet bar.
10 AM: an apple with peanut butter; or 8 oz yoghurt with 3 oz blueberries; or a small bunch of grapes with string cheese.
Lunch: one prepackaged tuna meal (lunch-size) shared for 2, plus a bowl of salad and tomato/cucumber/carrot/radish/snap peas with one oz Ranch. Or some other lunch divided in half.
3 PM another snack like the 10 AM.
Supper: one helping of any food according to helping sizes ON THE CAN or PKG, ie unreasonably small by what people regularly eat—divided in half. Plus one full cup of steamed vegetable. Eg, last night, 3 regular chicken raviolis, not large size, apiece, finished in olive oil and basil. And full head of broccoli apiece. Salt and pepper ok.
9 pm. pkg of popped popcorn, lunchbox packet.
1/2 glass wine.
And pretty well, with substitutions, we’ve had meatballs, 3 apiece, red sauce, about 10 strands of spaghetti each; or pork chop, with small dollop barbecue sauce; or rice dish, 4 oz, including topping.
In other words, you eat what you want in little tiny amounts, about a small teacup’s worth including a protein 2x a day, and for the rest, it’s all fruits and steamed and raw veggies.
Plus drinking large amounts of water. I flavor mine with lime juice and others, so I can get it down.
But the deal is—you’re absolutely hitting all the food groups and hitting the good ones hard. What you’re cutting down on is the typical ‘main dish’ with all its trimmings, which is reduced to what you could put in a dainty teacup.
If you want to lose fast, you go real light on the fat and carbs. Most of your carbs are coming from the veggies.
But it can accommodate many sensitivities and special problems with food, because you’re eating what you ordinarily eat, just way, way, way less of it.
If you have to have a taste of that chocolate cake, fine: just ONE tablespoon, flat measure. 
