The Weekend Begins

Good for me, I started my exercise program today.  Went to the park and walked the loop all around it.  Couldn't walk very briskly, but I did it, and it's the beginning.  Don't know the distance, but it could be 1/2 - 3/4 mile or more.  Tonight Jim and I went to Olive Garden for dinner.  I had a glass of red wine, the salad bowl and a flatbread appetizer with fresh tomato, basil and melted cheese.  It wasn't very big, but I brought half home, along with half Jim's meal.  Small steps.  Oh, I did also bring home a chocolate gelato with caramel and chocolate chips to go ...

Yard sailing tomorrow, along with the Honfest in the Hampden neighborhood of Baltimore.  That should be fun.  I'll have my camera with me to capture the flavor of this annual event.  Think of Hairspray, beehive hairdos, cat's eye-glasses frames, spandex pants, leopard print clothing, pink flamingos and the 60's, and you'll get a sense of what it's all about.  It gets its name as in the expression, "Hey Hon!" from the Cafe Hon in Baltimore.  Stay tuned!

Getting Old!

I'm pretty tired tonight.  I had a hard day at the library, where I volunteer once a week for the ongoing Book Sale.  There were many, many boxes and bags of book donations that came in during the week, and another half a dozen while I was there.  I managed to plough through most of them, but didn't get as much done as I would have liked to do.  I just don't have the energy any more.

It bothers me that I have slowed down as much as I have, and I don't know what to attribute it to, although perhaps it has to do with having had breast cancer in 2007.  The treatment for it was chemotherapy, mastectomy, radiation, and Herceptin, a monoclonal antibody infusion treatment for a year.  I started having reconstruction surgeries in April 2009, and have had several, and will have a final one for liposuction contouring on June 30th.  It just seems to me that I've really aged over the past couple of years.  I also have a lot of arthritis throughout my body, especially in my knees, and that has slowed me down a lot.  I take Aleve, but not regularly, and it helps a lot.

I think maybe know I need to get back into exercise again.  I used to go to the pool twice a week for water aerobics, but I don't any more.  I've given up that membership.  I have a treadmill and that's where I have to begin.  I also have several sets of dumbbell weights, and those may help in strength training.  The other thing I like to do is to go for walks, so I may start going to a local park to take walks.  I just know I need to do something, because I sure don't like feeling this way.  At least I've managed to lose a few pounds, maybe 5-7, by cutting back on portions and making better food choices.  I need to continue to lose, although it's very hard to do.  I know all the things I need to do - it's just following through that is the key.