July 5, 2011

Ok I am up 2 more pounds. That is a gain of 4# from my low point since I got back from Fat Camp! Time to get serious again and nip this in the bud! I seem to have come to my senses these past couple of days, so hopefully my binge is over. 50 is coming . . . and I am down 25#. No time to dawdle. 75 more to go to meet my goal of 100# by my 50th birthday.

Back next Tuesday.

Kay

July 4th Garden

Last year I had the most beautiful, majestic pepper plants. The only problem . . . no peppers! Well this year I have the puniest plants and peppers out the wazoo!  I've never gotten peppers this early before. Very strange . . .

Yes, that is a corn stalk there. On my getaway with my buds we stopped at a garden center and they had a clearance 4-pack of corn. Hopefully it will perk up a little!  I also picked up a clearance cauliflower and a clearance hot pepper. Lacking any garden space, I stuck those in a planter. I must stop!

I also have a mega crop of zucchini coming, this single plant is loaded with 8 zucchini. John thought he had planted a pumpkin or a squash in that spot (not my faves), and the huge plant was shading my tomatoes, so I had  been pruning (mutilating?) the plant pretty freely so it would not invade my tomatoes. I do, however, love zucchini, so when I finally figured out what it was I let it go. It's monstrous!

Besides the radishes and onions, and the harvest for the pesto (which turned out scrumptious), I've had several small head of broccoli too. Pretty good for Black Thumb Kay!

I know tomorrow is weigh-in day, and it is not going to be pretty. If I was an alky instead of a foody, I'd say I had been on a bender. But since I said I would share every Tuesday, win lose or draw, I'll be back tomorrow grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

And the getaway with my friends was lots of fun. Sort of Beer/Food/Laughfest 2011. Here is my friend Mar, I had a little fun with a photo of her that was in the local paper with a big fish she caught in Canada. These wanted posters were popping up here and there. And please note in the second picture, the vegetables. And the beer. And the empty cheese dip container. There was also an Amish Bakery and camping coffee.Sigh. It seemed like a good idea at the time.  Tomorrow on the scale I may think otherwise!

Back tomorrow evening to fill you in on the dreaded weigh-in.

Garden Harvest - Herbs

I had a bumper crop of basil, oregano, thyme and parsley. Decided to make some pesto. Besides the herbs there is garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, sun dried tomatoes (they give it that lovely reddish hue), salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Oh . . . I almost forgot the parmesan cheese. Yum. My first try making pesto on my own, I've only assisted John in this endeavor in the past. I'm calling it "rustic pesto" because it is a trifle coarse, my ancient food processor is not as proficient as John's! LOL  I'm very pleased with the flavor. I'm thinking it would be tasty tossed with some spaghetti squash (Julie!), or spread under the skin of a roasting chicken, I've got lots of ideas.  But my favorite is broiled on bread, topped with cheese, along with a nice salad. Nice to have a tasty treat like that in the freezer.

I could see from the kitchen window that Midge was stalking something, but I wasn't sure what. When I finished in the kitchen I came out to see what she had captured. She was quite proud of herself, having caught herself a pom pom!

 

And lots of catnip, hung out to dry. 

Once You Start on a Life of Crime . . .

Please meet Finnegan, the petty thief. His first offense . . . a misdemeanor I am sure . . . a dog toy from the neighbor's yard (the first of many). He has lots of toys, but he has no interest in them. I bought him some dog toys, but no luck. Maybe if I throw them over the fence?







And more recently, yes, that is a bird's nest and a barbie doll. He brought the nest home the day after a windy storm, so I'm sure it was empty, there was probably no pillaging (gosh I'm an optimist!).  It must be a bit of work, for a cat to get these items over a 6 foot chain link fence topped with a totally ineffective net cat fence!

Even without the evidence, he just looks guilty, doesn't he?

June 21, 2011

Hi Folks!

Holding steady, which means I am still up those 2 pounds from last week, darn it! I was not particularly focused this week, I must admit. Too many temptations . . . like the meal John cooked for Father's day! LOL  Just kidding. My lack of focus is all my fault. I need to get back on track.

Leaving Sunday for a getaway with my old friends at a cabin down on Lake Shelbyville. That will be challenging as well. Yes, there will be beer. LOL  So I won't be around Tuesday a.m. for my weekly weigh-in and blog post, be warned.

Back in two weeks, hopefully back on track!

Kay

June 14, 2011

Well the scale is up 2 pounds today. I'm not bummed, I think it was just a little too much birthday weekend. Maybe I should have worked Monday instead of taking a long weekend! LOL Oh well. I was really active, between doing some yard work, trimming along the fence, my ass got a good workout. It's still complaining. My arms got a good workout trimming some high bushes. My stomach got a good workout with the birthday pizza (yum) and ice cream sundae(s). And a birthday lunch with my friend yesterday. Sigh. Also got a good workout moonlighting for my caterer friend a couple of times recently. Lots of bustling about and some pretty heavy lifting. Unfortunately the workout is probably canceled out by eating her delicious food. Buffets are not good for me people! The good news is the pay from moonlighting is going into my Return to Fat Camp Fund. Woo hoo!

Still no diet soda, not even with birthday pizza. Kind of surprised myself there.

I have resumed my walks along the towpath. I feel that when I see wildlife on my walks, it is kind of a reward for my labors. I was somewhat shocked to see a coyote bolting from the lumberyard on the outskirts of town, but very pleased when a cardinal kind of trailed along with me for a good section of the tow path Sunday. I love it when that happens.

Keep up the fight people! Back next week.

Kay :)

June Garden

Here is my garden. John got me started on raised beds a couple of years ago. I’ve got radishes, beans, onions, lettuce, zucchini, tomatoes, peppers, garlic, carrots, squash, basil, parsley, broccoli, strawberries,  taters, and sweet taters. There is also a bumper crop of wee maple trees coming up in there too, you probably can’t see them very well yet (dang those helicopters!), as well as a bountiful amount of grass (the legal kind!), clover and morning glories. The area between the two beds is planted with a butterfly/hummingbird/wildflower mix, and there is asparagus in there too---that tall business there is some asparagus going to seed. There is a bed along the fence that has a zucchini plant and some perennial flowers, thyme, oregano, catnip, asparagus fern, some lilies and other stuff, and some red poppies that are just getting started.  I have some daisies starting on the other side of the raised beds, right by the hollyhocks. One side of the double bed is veggies, the other is all flower seeds, including zinnias, marigolds, a few carrots because the tops are so pretty, with a sunflower coming in each corner. I’ve heard stories of some people planting their flowers in rows. Interesting. There is also a bumper crop of cat in there. That is Midgie’s favorite spot, it’s a wonder any of my flower seeds are coming at all! LOL

I call that grass off to the side in the middle picture my ornamental grass (haha), but it's just a patch of long grass for Midge and Finnegan to hide and play in. They love it and are in there all the time.