Case of the Missing Toe Ring

It was on Sunday the 4th when I noticed the ring missing from a toe on my left foot.

I can’t even tell you how many years I’ve been wearing toe rings. It’s just something I’ve always done, feel awkward without.

Fortunately, I’d not been outside for days, which meant it had to have fallen off inside, so I began searching.

Finding nothing after checking the floor in every room, I checked the bathtub in case it had fallen off in the soapy water; checked all the socks I’d recently worn, maybe it had gotten stuck inside, but still nothing.

After a cursory search of the bedding yielded nothing, I called on Saint Anthony (Saint Anthony, Saint Anthony, please come down, something is lost and can’t be found) and left it at that, because Saint Anthony has always pulled through for me.

Now feeling the toe ring would eventually show up, I stopped obsessing over it.

"Eventually" can be a long time. So, feeling naked without one of my toe rings, I two days later purchased another, in a different style.

Waking up yesterday morning to actual sunshine, though still windy, I pushed myself to do my least favorite chore — laundry.

Stripping the bed to wash the sheets, I tossed the quilts away, began removing the sheets, went in the other room for something or other.

Walking back to finish stripping the sheets, I spotted something shiny.

Oops there it is

Saint Anthony came through once again.

Even though the ring is back in place, having ordered another is probably a good idea because the current ring is suddenly rather loose. Probably why it slipped off.

In other news, there’s a new trend on TikTok. First was the one about people with red hair/gingers being Black. Now some guy has a theory that all white people have birds in their homes.

Dear Readers: What do you think of this hypothesis? Do you have figurines, images of birds, or real birds in cages?

That Four Letter Word

I wish I could say this is a 3-day weekend for me. However, inasmuch as Trainer never takes a day off for holidays but instead keeps his AM appointments, then takes the afternoon off, looks like Monday 11:30 will be business as usual for me.

Feeling energetic after Friday’s workout, I had plans for this weekend, starting with steam cleaning the kitchen tile yesterday, as soon as I returned from the Pain Cave, shampooing the carpet today.

After the kitchen tiles were done, I headed out to use the little hand vacuum on the car in hopes of finding a eyebrow pencil I’d lost in the car, and the rubber tip to that walking cane which somehow had fallen off while in the car.

I found neither object but, as I stepped away from the car to head back upstairs, I saw one of the residents in another building had been watching me. Let’s call her "Lu".

Lu approached with a worried look on her face and asked if I was okay.

After saying "Yes, I was just cleaning out the car" she called me a four letter word I’ve not had spoken to me in more years than I can recall.

She said I was looking "thin", seemingly had lost weight overnight since she last saw me at bingo a few weeks ago.

I understood her concern because, when we see others around here suddenly losing weight, it’s generally a sign of illness.

So that’s why Painted Rock Lady was staring at me so strangely last time I saw her, thought I. PRL had stared intently at me without giving me her usual greeting, and I’d wondered what was up with her.

I didn’t know my recent weight loss was that noticeable, and it’s not like I was even trying to lose weight.

What happened was, my last blood test didn’t look good. My cholesterol and other numbers were so alarmingly high that I was shocked to still be alive. I’d been a dead woman walking, on the verge of a stroke or dropping dead.

Looking for a way to get the numbers down without medication, 37 days ago, I’d signed onto an app (MyFitnessPal) that made it easy for me to track not calories, but Carbs, Sodium, Sugar (CSS), and I began building meals around low glycemic foods and tracking my intake in the app so that I did not exceed my daily intake level.

Losing weight seems to be a byproduct of watching my numbers because, in those 37 days, I’ve lost 21 pounds and, as Lu said I was looking "thin", on the verge of being "too thin" she said, evidently I’m losing inches as well.

Though the carpet cleaner is out of storage, sitting across the room staring me in the face, the energy I felt yesterday is alluding me today, so maybe I’ll get around to that project tomorrow.

Today, I was off on a tangent due to having seen an episode of Food Network’s Summer Baking Challenge a few days ago that stayed with me.

The bakers were challenged with making smores and, as they baked, they spoke to the camera of how they grew up camping, making smores in the great outdoors and making smores while camping in the back yard or on the beach.

It occurred to me that I’ve never done either of those — camping or having eaten a smore, never even saw a smore up close and personal.

When I was dating the cop that I eventually married, I do recall his coming over one day to say "We’re going camping".

He’d spent something like $600 on camping equipment — tent, sleeping bags, clothing for me, and miscellaneous other stuff but, when I realized "camping" meant sleeping outdoors where there are bugs, insects, I wasn't down with it.

The only way he could have gotten me out camping was to rent one of those vans with a toilet and shower. I would have been willing to bend on the van being equipped with a television and kitchen, as I could have lived without a TV and a kitchen if HE did all the cooking over the fire pit.

Needless to say, we never went camping ………… ever.

As for smores — seeing the ingredients are all things I’ve eaten separately (graham cracker, chocolate, marshmallow) but not together, I became interesting in experiencing what the big deal was all about.

Before I’d gotten started on yesterday’s kitchen tile project, I first popped into the market for ingredients, but ran into a roadblock when I realized graham crackers and marshmallows had ingredients that would send my gut issues spiralizing out of control (whole wheat, modified food starch, high fructose corn syrup, soybean, et al.), so I began looking for gluten free ingredients, of which the market had none.

But at least the market was quiet.

For the last two weeks the market had been hosting two different charities. Nice gesture but did you have to shout WOO HOO!!!! every single time someone made a donation?

Being subjected to this every single time I popped into the market for two weeks straight was incredibly annoying, had me hearing WOO HOO!!!! in my head even when I wasn't in the market. Even caught myself yelling WOO HOO!!! out loud to myself, like a crazy woman, for no reason.

Just typing this out is bringing back the memory and I'm hearing WOO HOO!! right now.

It was a traumatizing two weeks.

So, anyway, not in the mood to run the carpet cleaner today, I instead checked two more markets for smore ingredients I could work with, and even drove to Wally World but, not able to find any gluten free graham crackers or marshmallows, looks like I’ll have to order everything online, fit smores into my CSS intake next weekend.

Happy Columbus or Indigenous People’s Day

My trust and belief is in the Native American version of who discovered what but either way, it’s still a Monday.

No tea to report coming out of Friday’s bingo because I got my days mixed up. Bingo isn’t until this coming Friday.

I’ve been doing that a lot lately … getting my days mixed up. Which confusion can easily be avoided by checking my daily planner but, thinking I know what I’m doing, I forget to check it.

Oh well, there being no bingo this past Friday was a gift because, after that morning’s workout, I was so stiff and sore that I probably would not have made it down to the Community Room.

Trainer not only continued with incline training that day but had me doing pull ups for a full body workout in between sets.

It’s not as easy as it looks and, when I say full body, I mean FULL BODY. The movement is designed to reach and tone everything everywhere — ergo, stiff and sore.

Trainer has also warned me to not expect the treadmill to be in the same location when I show up this morning.

I’ve lost track of how many times the treadmill has been relocated, but whatever.

Over the weekend, I spotted Karen out gleaning the grassy knoll for tree droppings.

I didn’t see her cat, which means she’s complying with management having pointed out complaints and possibility of a lease violation for allowing her cat out without a leash.

I did notice she’s dyed her hair black.

Big mistake.

The dark color makes her look like the witch she is.

After more years of being dormant than I can remember, it appears my metabolism has mysteriously returned to life.

It was a few weeks ago, seeing my leggings sagging a little in the butt area, I decided to get on the scale. Lo and behold, I was down pounds and inches when I took my measurements. This morning’s scale check indicates weight is continuing to fall off.

However, looking at the down to skin and bones condition of my legs, I’m wondering if I’m losing too much weight.

But seriously, I was planning to wear skeleton leggings to the upcoming 5K. However, this purchase was misleading — they are not leggings, they are stockings and arrived with a run in them, so I’ll be returning these and participating costume less unless I can get skeleton leggings elsewhere, quick fast in a hurry.

Say Hello to My Little Friend

Having no access to the scale in the Game Room to check myself since the lockdown, and curious to know how I’m doing, I invested in one.

The good news is I’m still at my pre-pandemic weight. I haven’t gained.

The bad news is I’m still at my pre-pandemic weight. I haven’t lost.

I’m not on the Weight Watchers program, but ended up choosing this scale for no special reason. It arrived yesterday and, looking at the box, I found it’s one of those fancy scales that has fitness modes, which modes tells the user all kinds of body analysis stuff, i.e., fat, water, mass.

I have no idea how the scale can go into that level of detail, and looks like I’ll never know because, once I opened the box and began reading the manual for setting fitness mode, I read … “The age range for fitness mode is 18 to 75”.

At 76 years of age, I’ve aged out of fitness mode. LOL.

No matter, I probably wouldn’t understand all that data even if I could get access to it. I just want to watch my weight — preferably watch it go down.

With no walking competitions on the horizon, because of restrictions on group activities, I’ve been depending on Virtual 5Ks. I’m getting emails every day about this one and that one, but few have caught my fancy — other than the Wonder Diva I just completed, and one other coming up soon — the Covid 19 Over it 5K.

I’m certainly not over Covid. I don’t think any of us will be over it in many years to come. I think we’ll just learn how to survive in it. So, though not actually over it, I registered because of the fabulous “over it” hair buff they’re offering, as the words tell the story of a great many things in life I am actually over. LOL.

THEN, on Thursday, another interesting virtual popped up in email.

Interesting, not because of any special bling. Interesting because I did the ridge run September of last year, was looking forward to this year’s run — which Covid put a halt to, and thought their virtual worth participation.

While registering for the event, I saw that participants are expected to pick up race packets.

Really?

For a virtual?

Expecting participants to pick up race packets for a virtual — especially when the reason going virtual is because of a pandemic, makes about as much sense as when the bank originally had us spaced out in line, but too close at the teller windows.

I backed out of the registration process, and thinking this having to go virtual is new to the organization — they just didn’t know, I emailed the organizers — “In case you didn’t know, it’s customary to mail packets to participants in virtuals”.

That was bold of me, I later thought, not knowing what, if anything, would be coming back at me. Surprisingly, they replied … nicely.

“Thanks for connecting. We were trying to at least have a little contact with runners so we could at least say thank you for participating. Also then we would not have to charge the participant for the mailing. I think shipping would be six or seven dollars. What are your thoughts? Are you local?”

Well that’s just silly — the wanting contact to say thank you. I ignored it and addressed cost of mailing with … “One of the advantages of a virtual is race packets are mailed to participants with cost of mailing included in registration fee. Since you’ve already posted pickup, I guess it would be difficult to change now. However, I’m thinking maybe you could have two registration fees – one pickup, one mail to cover cost. Or at least an option button to have mailed, at cost. Thanks for replying. I’ll check the site later to see if any changes. If not, good luck with the virtual. Hope it’s as successful as last year’s event was.”

It won’t be, as successful that is. Not with having a package pickup, I thought to myself. But that was that.

Then whatdoyaknow. I wake up this morning to a reply … “Shirley that’s a great idea”. 

Look at me … being an influencer. LOL.

I don’t know which idea, but they are going to change the registration process. So, I guess I’ll be adding that 5K to my workouts.

Milestones

Trainer happened to mention we’re coming on up a year of my working out, the first session being March 12, 2019.

I can hardly believe it.

Timewise, it certainly doesn’t feel like a year has gone by.

What’s left of my life is whizzing by way too fast.

I’m definitely stronger, move faster, breathe easier when walking upstairs than I did a year ago. My knees and lower back no longer hurt all the time, I even see muscles developing in my forearms, and though my measurements haven’t changed all that much, some of my tops no longer fit as snugly as they did. Probably because I've gone from a DD to a C cup, for which trainer apologized. LOL. I assured him THAT was a good thing, as there's still plenty remaining that I can do without.

Some tops are hanging so loosely, which I prefer tight, that I’ve removed them from the closet and placed in the “donate” container.

Fortunately, my many pairs of leggings (all 38 of ‘em) are of a fabric (spandex) that stretches out if need be, hugs the body if need be, therefore can handle the few inches I’ve lost, and what little weight-loss there’s been.

Did you just put out there that you own 38 pairs of leggings, you ask.

Why yes, yes I did. As to why, there is no rhyme or reason except the internet keeps sending me notices that it has found something it thinks I’d like, and it’s a cute pair of leggings and I can’t resist.

In fact, just this week I received such a notice and saw these.

Way cute, and 30% off. I can see myself wearing these with boots and a black tunic top, but managed to talk myself out of the purchase, because I need another pair of leggings like I need a whole in my head.

"Talked myself out of it" that is ... until 11:30 that night when I couldn’t sleep for thinking about those leggings, got out of bed, logged on and ordered two pair ─ so I’d have a backup once the first pair wore out.

Hopefully that’s the end of it, as I have more leggings than I can possibly wear out in this lifetime.

Back to weight loss ... I don’t understand why so little ─ only 6 pounds in a year. Trainer has lost more weight than I ─ 34 pounds, and he did it in a matter of a few months to meet the weight requirement for a boxing competition.

Working out so hard, clean eating ─ because my gut won’t let me do otherwise, and so little weight loss hardly seems fair, but I’ll keep at it because the dam has to eventually break.

Another milestone is, after two years of ownership, I’m almost at the first 10,000 miles on the Jeep ─ having purchased it February 24, 2018.

Do I need to drive more or what? LOL.

Slowly I Burn

Outside of family drama, which I am determined not to accept, absorb, acknowledge ... except to announce granddaughter has a new car … preowned … purchased for her by the boyfriend … $7,000 … cash!

Must be love.

Other than that, it’s been a quiet week for me what with working out, trying new recipes, needlepoint, and finally having time to catch up with books I’ve missed by my favorite author.

I thought this one would give me some good late night reading over a period of days.

However, it was so engrossing that I couldn’t put it down. Practically finished it overnight, and now must order the other Mosley book I missed while I was busy reading all those revealing books about No. 45 and his family.

The needlepoint project for Twin 2 is coming along, not taking up much time, and will be finished well ahead of time to present it as a Christmas gift.

Looking for snack recipes that travel well, I tried a recipe for avocado brownies.

It was an expensive epic failure.

·       Hazelnut Flour $13.99

·       Hazelnut Butter $11.83

·       Organic Cacao Nibs $7.99

·       Organic Cacao Powder $10.99

·       100% Organic Dark Chocolate Cacao Chips $13.44      

Mix it all together, along with Stevia, 1-1/2 Avocados, vanilla extract and you’ve wasted a perfectly good avocado that would have been better utilized as guacamole.

The results were a non-sweet dried up mess.

Tasted nothing like a brownie.

I seriously doubt I’ll be using those expensive ingredients in any other recipe, but I’ll hang onto just in case.

A recipe for Avocado Egg Salad with Homemade Flax Seed Crackers was executed successfully and is what I’ll take with me on an overnight, scheduled for next week, to participate in the OC Fair 5K.

Would you believe I’ve never ever been to the fair?

Not sure if this visit will count, as I’m just up Saturday evening, out by 11:00 after Sunday’s event, which won’t give me much time to be a lookie loo at the fair.

Today was an appointment with my primary care physician to discuss the possibility of a tummy tuck for sure, possibility of a boob lift.

Since my request is cosmetic, not medical, she doubts it, but sent in a referral to the Plastic Surgery department nonetheless.

Back in 2017, when I was forced by gut issues to begin a clean eating regiment, I quickly lost 20-1/2 pounds in three months, which was amazing and unusual because weight loss had eluded me for years.

Weighing in today, the doctor remarked on how great it was that my weight continues to come down since that initial 20-1/2 pounds to the tune of an additional loss of 12 pounds in the last two years.

Is she serious thinking that to be great?

All the exercise I’ve done in the last two years, all the clean eating, and a lousy 12 pounds!

Slowly my metabolism burns, and it’s left me with a sloppy roll around the middle I’d like to get rid of. Thus, this morning’s consultation.

We’ll see how it goes once I get an appointment with the plastic surgery department.

If you’ve had skin removal surgery or a boob lift, would love to hear from you as to just how bad is the pain and how long the recovery period.

Heading to the doctor’s office, I saw an interesting sign.

I wasn’t texting, I was playing PokémonGo so their little sign clearly wasn't meant for me. LOL.

Having seen another sign, I stopped by after the visit.

Didn’t buy anything. It was so hot outside that I couldn't focus on the fruit and veggies being offered.

Skinny Toes and the Dead Guy

While bent over rummaging through the needlepoint kit yesterday, my eyes landed on an item on the floor.

It was my toe ring!

How’d that slip off, thought I.

Slipping it back on, I noticed it no longer had a snug fit and was likely to slip off yet again.

Either the toe ring is getting bigger or my toe is getting skinny, thought I.

Heading down to the scale in the Community Room to see what was up, I was surprised but pleased to learn I’m down an additional 6 pounds for a total of 27.

Residents had been commenting “You’ve lost a lot of weight”.

I didn’t see it because I’m still top heavy and thick around the waist. I did, however, notice how much thinner my face is and now, with toe rings slipping off, evidently my toes are getting skinny. Hopefully the areas between my face and toes will be next to whittle down. 

While downstairs, I ran into Handsome Guy. He was not happy.

The Government Inspector had a problem with Handsome Guy's Dish equipment being attached to his patio rail. Consequently, management issued Handsome Guy a 3-Day Violation Notice.

Handsome Guy is proud, much like Assistant Maintenance Guy was, and is much offended at a 3-Day Notice, saying “Management knew I had Dish when I moved in” and “Nothing has ever been said about it being mounted to the rail”.

Thing is … it’s in the lease agreement that we are not to attach anything to the rails, that Dish is to be on a tripod thingie and, further, insurance is required if one has a Dish.

I’m sure all this was explained to Handsome Guy in detail during the lease signing because management painstakingly goes through the lease page-by-page and has us initial each and every specific rule/regulation as proof we’ve been advised and understand.

But he’s a guy. I doubt he paid attention to what was being explained, just signed and initialed as directed.

I’ve not yet heard how Handsome Guy is going to resolve the issue – his options are to obtain insurance and relocate the Dish equipment to a tripod within 3-Days, get rid of Dish and go to regular Cable -- that doesn't  require insurance, or throw a hissy fit like Assistant Maintenance Guy and leave.

We’ll see.

Also, while downstairs, I ran into Apache who introduced me to his deceased neighbor’s brother – here to clear out his brother’s unit.

It was said that the Dead Guy lived here 20 years.

Twenty years and I don’t ever remember seeing him, though he wasn’t always a double amputee (both legs) and when he became an amputee still managed to get out and about by use of a mobilized chair.

His missing caretaker is still missing. The brother hasn’t been able to contact and question her, the previous caretaker has gotten involved and she too has been unable to contact and question her replacement.

Very suspicious that.

Also suspicious is the brother being told he can remove nothing from the unit because it has already been rented.

Brother was cool about it, he doesn’t want anything and said management would be giving him some monies, but I don’t get how management gets to keep all the furnishings – including a big screen TV Apache had asked the brother if he could have; the brother said yes, but management said no, it stays with the unit, that the woman moving in literally has nothing, and can use everything that’s in it.

I’m guessing that means it’s another person sent over by the County which, since brother doesn’t care, at least the furnishings are going to where it’s desperately needed.

I hope management at least cleans the place, paints, puts in new carpet, but who knows.

It all makes me wonder about what happens to my furnishings when I die. I wouldn’t mind if what I left behind when to where it was needed, but I’d like relatives to have the option to come in, take what they can use, sell what’s worth something and, if there’s anything left over, management can have at it.

I’m going to approach the subject when my lease comes up for renewal and may even have a paralegal develop some sort of stipulation to attach to the lease to prevent management from doing to my cold dead body what they’re doing to Apache’s dead neighbor.

Third Time’s the Charm

I’m glad that’s over.

After three tries at building a gingerbread café, over two days, I can finally stop obsessing and get on with my life.

Will I ever make another?

Absolutely. I’m looking forward to what kind of café Starbucks offers next year.

It frustrated me at first that I couldn’t get the hang of it, but the first and second build were good practice for what turned out to be a nice third build.

The winds returned to this area with gusto this morning. Even my Pokémon Go app is issuing a warning.

Not to worry, I’ll be staying indoors, keeping an eye out that patio decorations don’t go flying off.

I will step outside later this afternoon to attend the Residents/Management meeting. Can’t imagine anything important is on the agenda, but I’ll pop in and sit near the exit door, so I can escape if it gets boring.

Next Tuesday is our Holiday Party, hosted by management. Probably nothing I can eat, but I’ll go down for a little while.

BTW, I didn’t tell you I’ve lost 20 ½ pounds in like a three-month period.

I kept wondering how it was that, because there’s so much I can’t eat now, and I’m literally forced into clean healthy eating because of gut issues, that I’d not lost a pound. Then one day I noticed my leggings looked a little loose in the caboose, took some measurements and saw my inches were slightly down. Weighing myself on the scale in the Game Room, I was slightly down there as well.

After so many failed attempts to lose weight, because of a slow metabolism when I was desperately trying, I was afraid to trust I was actually losing weight without trying, so I stayed away from the scale, until feeling thinner, looking thinner, I jumped on the scale this last Tuesday and found I’m down 20-1/2 pounds.

That’s a lot of weight for me, in a relatively short period of time, so I’m wondering if that’s why I’ve been so overly tired and dizzy lately -- the body adjusting to sudden weight loss. On the other hand, proponents of the grain-free lifestyle, which I’ve been following as a way to manage my gut issues, do say “lose the wheat, lose the weight” -- (i.e., once the wheat is out of your system, weight loss is a natural occurrence).

I’d been losing the wheat since 2015, receiving no weight loss, but with fewer and fewer gut issues. Then all of a sudden BAM! … 20-1/2 pounds gone. It’s taken all this time for my body to get over whatever damage I’d done to it in the past, and begin to regulate itself.

The Day the Scale Moved

Well pleased with myself am I, for having managed to clear out three more containers during the week.

Set aside for donation are belts, tote bags, more tops, and this cool Star Trek Dr. Spock hoodie that I really wanted to keep but know in my heart I’ll never wear again.

Notice the Spock ears.

So cool.

Alas for the librarians, I’ll be creating more work for them as I found five more books – The Tao of Pooh, Feng Shui for Apartment Living, Using Feng Shui, Clear Your Clutter with Feng Shui and Feng Shui in 10 Simple Lessons. However, as I type this out, something tells me to hold onto 10 Lessons, so it’s a take back on that one.

That does it for inside, next area to tackle is the patio storage area, where I fear there might be more books – a collection of Edgar Cayce's, some Dream and Horoscope Manuals.

There’s also a container full of country western cd’s and cassette tapes.

Even though cassette tapes are passé, I already know I’m not ready to let go of anything in that container.

A notice was posted to our doors that the big deal tax credit inspection found vehicles parked on the property that did not display current registration tags. Evidently, that’s something connected to the property keeping its tax credit status, so management has been phasing folks into the office to show proof of current car registration and current car insurance.

I’m up-to-date, and today was my appointment to bring in proof.

Walking to the office through the front entrance, I saw quite a group of residents in the Community Room, stuck my head in and learned I’d failed to notice, on the calendar, that today is Arts and Crafts – scrap paper Easter Wreaths.

I stuck around and participated.

Speaking of participating, a sign-up sheet for “volunteers” was being circulated.

Surprisingly, 13 residents signed up for lunch with the Complex Manager about volunteering for an Activity Committee. None of the 13 are the two complainers, and I fear most are interested in “lunch” than actually following through with volunteering.

The individual circulating the sign-up sheet approached me, and got “Unh un, no, never no more am I volunteering”.

I was told no one showed up to proctor last Tuesday’s Pizza Day, and the event turned into “a free for all”. Consequently, Activity Director is now asking for someone to go down on “a consistent basis”.

“You get consistent first” thought I – insofar as if and when, instead of inconsistent delivery times and mixed message depending on whom, in the process, one asks.

Heading back to my unit around noon, I made a pit stop at the scale in the Game Room and, to my great delight, the scale moved.

For months and months and months -- actually all last year and this year, I’ve been stuck. And though I felt fortunate to have not gained weight, the goal was to lose, which just never happened no matter how hard I tried.

Having given up on weight loss, the focus now being to not eat anything that will cause my gut to rebel, the scale actually moved down a few pounds.

Color me excited, hopeful more weight loss is to come.