Rooted in Mississippi

I knew I would be handing out a lot of candy, so I decided to dress up and enjoy myself a little. I am actually wearing false eyelashes with rhinestones on them!  

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Well, it is official, I have lost 30.5 pounds since starting the Weight Watchers FLEX Plan in July.  I actually weigh less than I did when I got married nearly six years ago, although my proportions have changed.  I struggled a little last week, because my daily points allowance went down by one.  I keep reminding myself that I also struggled for a few weeks the two other times my points adjusted down. I have been working on getting back to whole foods.  I also gave up those tasty and satisfying Weight Watchers 1 point treats, because my fiber intake has caused some embarrassing gas.

Losing a point has been harder this time, because apparently my weight change has affected my activity points too!  So, I can not make up the points as fast as in the past. I am already dipping into my weekly points allowance and it just renewed on Tuesday! Oh, well, it is a learning experience.

I see my mom next week and I know that the thirty pound weight loss should make her happy!

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The newest issue of CQMagOnline is posted and ready to read.  Amazingly, it is on schedule. Whew!  Now I can take a break for a few months, before getting ready for the January 2009 issue.

I really owe a special thanks to staff members Allison Aller, Lynn Schoeffler, Pat Winter, and Barbara Blankenship.  Those girls work hard to make the magazine viable and I could not possibly do it without them.  The whole thing is definitely a labor of love.

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My husband and I went to our local Apple Store this weekend to look at iPods, because I have been whining about my missing Shuffle.  I tried to make a decision about its replacement, but I agonized over the expense and we went home empty-handed.  To be honest, I liked the iPod touch best, but just could not justify that kind of expenditure right now.  I have been considering my options, including refurbished and older models, since Sunday.

Anyway, I needed to waste a little time this morning and was on the north side of the Metro, so I went back to the Apple Store. After debating with myself a little longer, I bought a Product Red iPod Nano.

I was wasting time while the dogs were at the vet.  All of them are fine, including Roscoe, who I caught climbing a tree in the back yard on Tuesday!  Basically, I had to drop off Oscar and Louie this morning for their annual exam, geriatric blood work, and vaccinations. Thursday is a busy day for the vet’s office, so they were not ready when I went back to pick them up before the office closed for lunch.  Rather than run any further errands, I decided to come home and set up my new iPod. It is currently charging and synchronizing.

At least I made a decision instead of procrastinating a little longer!

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OK, it is probably obvious that I have been taking some time off from the computer.  I was getting worried about burnout, especially with a new issue of CQMagOnline.com due out in five days, so I decided to spend some time on the sofa with the tiny dogs.

Yes, I realize that only two are in the photo, but it would take a wide angle lens to get everyone in a single shot.  I am pleased to report that Roscoe is doing much better.  We bought him a new collar, because the old one was getting frayed, so now he is sporting a blue Celtic Knot design.  He is losing some weight, because we have already had to tighten the new collar once.

Also, on a different note.  I have had a few moments of discovery in yoga class lately.  I was able to drop back into a back bend for the first time, albeit with help, which is very different from coming into one from the floor.  Also, when I do a quad stretch, my heels now touch my backside.  It is always nice to see improvement!

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Friday, I met Rhonda at her place and we did the rounds of all of the thrift stores in the Metro Jackson area.  I actually did surprisingly well for myself.  I managed to find a display I can use for exhibits, a Coach handbag, Tupperware, and some really cute clothes for a friend…all for well under $100.  It was a pleasant morning out, but I was a little distracted.  Roscoe had not been his normal self before I left.

When I got home, I decided to take him to the vet, because he was shaking so badly and moving so slowly.  I could not pinpoint what was wrong, but he had been so quiet and docile all morning, which is completely out of character for him.  This is dog that has nicknames like “Hyper” and “Jumpy Pants.”  The vet figured it out pretty quickly and diagnosed Roscoe with a backache.  I say backache, to distinguish it from something really serious that can and often does happen to dachshunds.  So after a few x-rays, he was put on Rimadyl and Valium.  I know, that sounds so funny, but apparently dachshunds respond better to Valium than to an actual muscle relaxer.  It turns out, the shaking was not because he was cold, apparently it was severe muscle spasms in his back.  I have had five dachshunds in the last fifteen years and have never heard of such!

All of this has definitely slowed our baby down and he is learning to take the dachshund elevator (that would be me or daddy) instead of jumping up on things. He has also learned to use the dog stairs to get out of the bed.  He has always used them to get up there, but he is usually so impulsive, he just jumps down onto the hard tile floor….not anymore!  He is also moving slower and with more determination in the back yard. In the long run, maybe this will help keep him from getting a more serious back injury.

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Wow, this might be the longest that I have gone without posting anything.  Things are going fine, I am just busy with other things, like working on the next issue of CQMagOnline!  It will not be published for a few weeks, because the behind the scenes work takes up a chunk of time.

So, here is a check-up in a nutshell:

• The dogs are all happy and healthy.
• I got my flu shot yesterday and I am healthy, except for some poison ivy!
• I am still doing Weight Watchers and still losing weight, a total of twenty-six pounds so far.
• I am still doing yoga several times a week, although I missed class today.  They had a new member orientation meeting at the Craftsman Guild this morning and it went through lunch time.
• I am still bellydancing, both in class and with my friend Trish.  I finally have a couple of choreographed drum solos memorized, but I am not sure I am ready to perform them in public, even if I had a venue!

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