November 1, 2012

To any who have been concerned, we are safe and fine.  Thank you for your prayers over the past weekend while Sandy ravaged our area.  We are very lucky; we did not lose power during this storm.  We had spent Friday and Saturday stocking up the wood, propane, food and other things necessary for when the power goes out.  The rain started about 1 PM on Sunday, ahead of forecast, and the winds were bad.  The winds continued to get stronger, and we were so glad we'd moved all the "moveable" stuff from the deck.  It continued to rain all of Monday and most of Tuesday.  The government shut down so Lou was home and my work follows the government so I was home, too.  The winds were around 70+ mph.  On Monday morning the rain gauge on the deck was full at 6 inches, but as it kept raining we really don't know how much came down.  Fortunately, Lou had had a "feeling" a few weeks ago and arranged for tree limbs overhanging our drive and power lines to be trimmed as the absentee landlord has done very little tree maintenance in all the years we've lived here.  We are very fortunate and know it.  Friends in New York City have not fared as well, many are still without power and not able to get places because the subway system remains partially closed.

In a different note, Saturday was a special day for me as I reached a milestone in my journey of weight loss for health improvement.  I have lost a total of 25 pounds in 11 months.  I would like to lose another 15, but am happy with where I am now and how I feel.  Not too shabby when I realized it's weight that has crept on over the 14 years we have lived here.  Previously I have lost weight at a much faster rate, but it has come back every time I "relax" my mindful eating.  This time, I'm changing my eating habits and have maintained a steady loss with very few ups and downs.  So, on to making it through the holidays!

A big thank you to all who said a prayer for my friend in LA who was recently hospitalized.  I'm pleased to let you know she's out!  Hopefully, the new meds will keep things under control and there won't be any more hospital trips.

So, I can blame it on Lou....  we needed to get him a covered wastebasket for his "office" as George was getting into the garbage can and throwing the stuff around.  So Sarah and I went to B3 today, and little did we know we walked right past the trash cans and into the store.  By the time we finally made our way back to the trash cans, we'd scored some really cool stuff: new sheets for Sarah's bed, lots of Chanukah stuff and hair and skin supplies cheaper than CVS.  Best part-using our coupons.  The cashier said to give her any $5 ones I had, and she clicked away while the total went down.  Grand total discount: (drum roll, cymbals, any noise maker) $45 off the total purchase.  Yet, neat stuff and a huge discount, my kind of shopping!

Time to tak George on his post wet food walk.  Have a wonderful evening, all.