Quick Update

It's 8:30 and I need to get writing. But I thought I'd go ahead and say hello, say that amazingly nobody is sick, that I've sat down to work every morning this week at 8:30, just like a real writer.

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Last night Jack and I went to see "Fiddler on the Roof," starring Topol, who pretty much is Mr. Tevye, and who starred the the 1970s film version of "Fiddler." I bought cheap seat tickets, and now sort of regret that I didn't shell out for orchestra seats, just because Jack seemed really into the show, and while even as far back as we were we could see everything, you lose out on some of the theater magic from such a distance.

Oh, well, Yet another decision I regret. The good news is, Jack will have five hundred other chances to see "Fiddler" in his lifetime. It's such a great show, though, like any musical I've ever been to with the possible exception of "Jesus Christ Superstar," it goes on too long, and has at least two songs that should be cut.

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Yesterday I tried eating oatmeal for breakfast. I put a little brown sugar in it and a sliced banana. It smelled great. It looked great. This was really, Irish steel cut oatmeal, not that instant junk. Oh, if only I had liked it! All that fiber goodness! But no. The fact is, I've yet to meet a breakfast grain (including grits, but don't tell my southern husband that) I liked. Maybe there are secrets to enjoying oatmeal? If you have any, let me know.

In general, I'm trying to heat healthier. I've quit Weight Watchers; it just wasn't doing it for me this time. I should say that I recommend WW highly if you want to lose weight and feel group support would help. I lost a lot of weight my first go-round with WW, and found it to be a sensible, easy-to-follow program.

The problem is, I've been dieting all my life, and sooner or later I flunk whatever diet I'm on. So now I'm trying not to be on a diet. I'm trying to eat whole foods (and I'm not doing any processed foods for Lent, by which I mean foods with additives, etc.--I'm perfectly willing to buy a jar of organic spaghetti sauce that has been "processed" in a factory, as long as it doesn't contain much other than tomatoes, herbs and a little olive oil), focusing on nutrition and calories. Yep, I'm writing down everything I eat and counting calories. I don't always meet my goal, but at least I'm aware of what I'm eating, and because nothing is forbidden other than processed foods, there's no way for me to "cheat." I can either eat enough calories or too many.

We'll see how that goes.

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Our seed order has shipped. Now I'm just trying to think of ways to convince the Man (i.e. my husband--I'm trying out a nickname for him) to let me plough up the front yard. We have a big sunny spot in the backyard, but that's for vegetables. The only other big patch that gets full sun is in the front yard right by the road. I think a front yard filled with flowers would be lovely, don't you? And then nobody would have to mow it.

Really, I'd love to have a big, crazy folkart kind of garden a la Howard Finster, filled with whirligigs and craziness and amazing flowers. Just a big whacked out space. Slowly I'm going to convince the Man that this is a fabulous idea. It will take five or six years, but over time I'll wear him down. You just watch.

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Off to write like the good little writer that I am. Have a most marvelous day, everyone!