Training Log Archive: Yukon King

AM walk - super nice early spring morning, body not totally up to speed, but still very pleasant time. Up past the corner grocery & past the train stn, then a nice woodland meander down the creek & back up thru the forest parallel to Stairmaster. Met a whole buncha dogs. Nap. Off to cruiseship.

probably alot more, but I'm just gonna wildly guesstimate...galloping about on the cruise-ship w/ my dad-in-law & bro-in-law doing the BC coast cruise - dad-in-law mesmerized by cheapness, so "all expenses paid", what fun! Best parts were a grand-marnier-tinged creme brulee, the chance to try a grappa (nice!), my dream-come-true of seeing an actual sequins-&-feathers floorshow, & the offshore cruising in blue-water on Friday afternoon & into the night. Plus hanging with my incredible mellow & fun in-laws. Overall however, I think I would say no right at the beginning if the whole scenario was rolled back & re-played...

feeling better today, got good sleep!! I think I am thru the toughest part of my cold, after a week, still very snotty, but more energy, yay!

C • Hi - just peeking in. Glad... 1

over to Taylor Park & back along the parkway w/ G & Keith, who is gonna take care of her for the next few days...

evening walk. G went bushwhacking & promptly roped a tree in the deep dusk, so that was fun trying to get her unstuck, usually she's better about NOT going around trees. Met Mog on the way back, he is almost over his recent "operation".

big dog walk to get some air & blood moving, a pretty day but only partially aware, oof...

so groggy (did NOT sleep last night at all well) after bath, laid on bed feeling dreary, so I started just doing little teensy RoM's & went on for 10 minutes, got actually a rather good selection done. Felt better about things.

down to the dog park in the rain w Su-jane, Shelly, & Gypsy. They played a bit & then just lay down in the rain like they were in their own livingrooms, glad they are so relaxed about rain. Chinese delivery for dinner. Did sleep pretty well last night & am starting to feel a bit better altho catarrh levels remain extremely high. Wish we could harness this for the good of humanity cuz it is certainly a plentiful natural resource at this point. D all packed for Montreal. Read about Amish whoopi pies (basically shortening, sugar, & cocoa, plus shortening, sugar & vanilla...hmmm) on pluckysurvivors - perhaps I will make some for an American Beyond-Junkfood-Cardio-Crusher (AKA "you'll be arrested for first-degree premeditated murder for serving this") theme menu - certainly locomoco (white rice, spam, fried egg, package gravy) from Hawai'i springs to mind as a lovely matching main course...hmmm, what would be a suitable appetizer, there would NOT be a salad, oh!! maybe that ambrosia "salad" (mayonnaise, canned fruit, & minimarshmallows?) from the supermarket deli section, oh yeah...

rest day courtesy of Generous, Charming, Handsome, AND Handy Husband.

sunshine but still cool, over to Taylor & back, loggable coughing, am I gonna have the bulging intercostals or what...
nice taper...

C • what is the coughing from? ... 3

staggered around neighborhood, SE to main road, down & across parkway followed by peaceful (ie not so hugely windy) meander thru woods down & then back up home. G found a piece of a bird which we Left, & I tracked a big ol' pileated woodpecker - could see big chunks of pale punky wood flying off, but couldnt see bird, so we snuck around onto the bikepath on the other side & I could just see it, big like a crow, wow...
G is doing this cute thing where she goes in the bedroom & gets on the bed & gives a little bark to say she wants to play, so I go in & roll around on the bed with her & wollop her around a bit with the green sheet, its fun. Not really loggable tho cuz she passes out really soon. tired doggy.

BENCHMARK - gotta say no rebound that I notice thus far, YAAAY!
R hip is calming itself after several days of griping mostly actually feels like muscles on outside,
both knees esp. R are ...maybe a bit inflamed, feel tense like full of liquid? not painful. monitor. Or is this rebound? oh, whatever! it's life, it's fine!

oof ...respiratorily challenged walkies today, that's fer sure. Always do feel better outside in the cool air tho. Coughing alot already, curse it! Overcast grey day, down thru the woods, a bit of time on the parkway, and home. G very groggy since yesterday afternoon, but active & cheerful on walks. Rufouses battling amongst the salmonberries, bzzt, bzzt!!

C • hummin' boids, eh? had to ... 1

different route today, kind of flat & along the top of the neighborhood - over to the creek, around past the corner groc, around the end of Cortina, sat in the park in the sun (getting a little warmer now!) & then home past the day-cares - G was pretty grumpy about going home, she just wants to live outside...
and, I think I got a cold - initially I was just hoping it was being tired from poor sleep, but my throat is getting more & more sore, & the malaise & inertia continues. arggghhh...

C • sorry to hear you're under ... 4

up to highgate in the morning - stopped at rona to look at tiles to redo the tiles that are popping up all over the kitchen (yay.) - some look rather nice - I am thinking of an 18th century italian travertine cobble style, the operative word being "style"...kind of like this...but...cheaper...
also saw The Very Cool Chair again, & this time I asked what it was - its a Quantum500 by Pride - nice!!!
G's walk was bright sun, cold, windy, spent a good while in the park. Met Betty Boop, or rather we espied her around the corner, & G-dog confirmed my suspicion that BB is a nut-case by briskly doing a 180 and heading directly away from BB, the only dog I've Ever seen G actively avoid...

a fun day but only the evening walk w D & G as exercise - met the ducktollers in the woods & that was about it for dogs. Went to a free musical w dad-in-law, picked up a north american-made jaffle iron which is new & exciting technology for me but apparently its at least 30 yrs old, oh well. I'm looking forward to doing lots of silly things with campfires & white bread this summer.
Jamaican themed dinner was only vaguely so - the jerk lost its heat somewhere along the way but was still tasty, dirty rice was pretty, not dirty, ginger beer was fine, fruit salad was only mildly tropical, and the italian bustrengo (apples, figs, raisins, tons of citrus zest, honey, olive oil, & polenta) reminded me of a rustic panforte, but was not jamaican at all. oh well. it was all pretty much yummy, & it all disappeared.
Musical was surprisingly good, a cute rewrite of sleeping beauty, basically one step more staged than a concert presentation, with very funny home-grown costumes, the incorporated Fairies were hilarious! Barney (bro-in-law) was "The Evil Servant Burch" mostly cuz of his booming "bwaaahaa-ha-HA!!"
http://www.thepossesingers.com/wakingdreams/index....

AM scoot over to corner groc to p/u weekend paper for lounging purposes. Then afternoon dog-walk in cold but fairytale woods - sun, birdsong, flowers, little bright green leaves everywhere (plus bits of snow from last night!!!), & on the way home torn-up pancakes tossed out under every tree for Gypsy's torment! Met some stranger-dogs, dug a hole, & dragged a truly Manky-Ball up a hill, chased it down the hill, dragged it up, chased it down, stuffed it in a hole, dragged it out. My dog reminds me of Eeyore but more cheerful & active.
Went to the Starlight Casino in New West to look at all the sparkly lights & eat noodles at their new cafe. It was sparkly & fun, I love that hypnotic burble of the slot machines, noodles were OK. James Bond was not there, it wasn't quite that kind of place. Always a teeny bit sad to know there are people who are gambling a bit too much for their own good.

stretchies etc in the hot-tub before swimming. pool was empty, nice...

swimming felt good, R hip is a bit cranky since the last few days actually. sun started coming out just at the end. Tofu & vegies for dinner, in a sort of vaguely thai style - chili jam & a chiffonade of cilantro, basil, & mint. Since I have them...bit of lime juice? Soaking garbanzos to complete the legume suite in freezer.

yow ! surprised myself w all that walking - spring woods walk w dog, really cold out there but at least less violently windy in woods, very pretty. No Dogs, but a Huge Pile of Dirt to get filthy in over by the co-op reno. Then corner groc to buy fruit etc for Sunday Jamaican dinner for dad-in-law - found ginger beer!!!
and a yummy bottle of coca cola for me....

got a call from Shelly's mom to go for a quick walk to the dog-park to let Gypsy chase her mom around to help her w her weight problem, heheh. Back a bit late to start the rice & start hacking madly at veg. It was fun ! I had them take G-dog to see how she responded to not having me with her - she did fine - I snuck out after them & shadowed them over to Taylor - she was so busy playing w Shelly she didnt notice me a bit either way. Very encouraging.
This may have been a bit much. Perhaps a bit of rest tomorrow, we'll see.

AM - over to the woods, down the creek & back up, springtime green but still chilly, then around the block & home. Met Blue, Sugar, Kelli, Sophie & Cobie, plus about 5 other dogs I dont know. Dug a hole, chased a pinecone for hundred of meters, played wrestle w Sophie.
Baked beans & cornbread for dinner. Plus a fridge-cleansing stirfry...

C • Funny how you meet up with ... 2

afternoon walk in bright sun but windy, over to Taylor for a biscuit, & home. Then evening walk, met Mog, then played w Coalie in the lobby til they were both exhausted & covered w dog spit. Nice.

AM walk as D has early thingy at work. Cool & misty morning (says its gonna SNOW this weekend!!!) down the first bit of stairmaster, cut thru the woods, down to hummingbird bower, & up the creekside paths. Met a baby shiba !!! Played w Gingy all the way up, about half an hour at least. I love the morning walks. I also love the afternoon walks...
salmon for dinner, an almost-greek salad, lemon/rosemary/garlic/olive oil baby potatoes, broccoli w oyster sauce.
Start working on friends' taxes, finish poster, maybe yoga?! I need more colors!!

C • flowers? 2

afternoon walk w Keith to Taylor Park, overcast & brisk.

since I was already lying on the livingroom floor, did some RoM & a few bits of yoga...bridge, twists, boat, cobra, locust...anti-jelly arms, situps.

various Green Sheet manoeuvres - cover the dog & thump the wiggling sheet, poke various flailing dog-bits sticking out, tug-of-war w Green Sheet, chase the Green Sheet around & around, collapse in exhaustion, girl - yoga; dog - nap.

train downtown to bank, have tea, file taxes, p/u forms, buy coffee for Alf, buy a chunk of honeymoon for D&D... then a nice walk in the woods, down the creek, up the creek... saw a wren, met Pongo, Tag (?), Tiffie, Kelli, & Dallice.
Off to art gallery DT yet again this evening for dinner & photography exhibit, pretty excited!
Freezing the second contingent of my bean-exercise, & am cooking the third - now I only have garbanzos to go, & I'll be totally set for maximized low-on-the-food-chain convenience.
No rebound yet that I've noticed.

oof! look at all those km today, probably a bit much, albeit optimally spread over the day...downtown to dinner and exhibition at VAG - Steiglitz & them-all - interesting & fun.

Gypsy is the only dog who has two AP logs. I think. Today we went....To The Park!
but by first heading directly away from it over to the ravine path, over the parkway, around the park picking up garbage, sit in sun w biscuit & Walden, then home, very crankily. Very sunny, very windy. Got over crankiness by sitting by gate to visit dogs - Kelli, Marco...
Gypsy is a japanese shiba inu. She looks like a miniature sled dog of some sort, but I am coming to the conclusion that she is actually a primitive pointer - their name means either "red dog" or "bush dog", and their described traditional role relates to the latter translation in that they were supposed to be used to flush out small game such as birds & rabbits from the bush. G certainly has a strong interest in such animals & the bush, and modern accounts of the shiba indicate the breed indeed has such tendencies, loving the bush and game scents to the extent of being unreliable in returning out of the bush until several days later. I've noticed G has a strong natural tendency of staring intently at or "pointing" at interesting sounds/smells along the edge of paths, mostly I think mice or voles, and sometime in her intensity she will even lift one foot, which is the classic pointer pose. Albeit not on mice. So even though we taught her "gee', "haw', "hike", & other sled dog commands cuz of the way she looks, she is probably not a sled dog.
scallop, egg, & tofu fried rice for dinner.

Vancouver Club for Dave & Derek's wedding, very nice! had an early dinner in the (quiet and elegant) club diningroom, a goat cheese salad, then a squash, chanterelle & truffle (oooh) risotto, & a good creme brulee. Now I don't have to eat truffles again - they were OK, but not divine & thus not worth the price they seem to command - kinda earthy & pungent - might be good as a scented oil for cooking? The goat cheese was prepared a bit too long before serving (crusted & finished in butter or some such) so it was cooling off & the crusts were separating a bit. But I still happily wolfed it down!
Wedding was great, gorgeous dignified room, generous & tasty canapes both roaming & stationary, and a pleasant & helpful man serving bar. D & D were also dignified, but cute, & obviously very happy. Music was a bit loud but apparently that is actually useful for parties like this. Oh! The Cake! it was tiers & tiers of.... Cupcake Shop cupcakes !! Absolutely spectacular, innovative (to me at least), cost-effective, & easy to serve. I didn't have one, I wanted to go home & see G-dog before they served them - next week I'll find out what they had & get a couple from the shop for me & D for an extended wedding celebration.

wild guesses, pretty sure a bit underestimated - 0.3 km at Malcolm Knapp Forest O-meet parking lot (No Dogs Allowed in the forest, not even on the logging roads, but G likes the edges of parking lots just fine, she can't tell the difference at all) - saw a rufous hummingbird and the most beautiful moss garden on a log I ever saw in my life - two different mosses & a lichen, all in gorgeous condition, gemmae cups and all. Must remember to bring binoculars (hummingbird) & geologist's loupe (mosses) to enhance 2008's O-experiences...
also a quick walk around the block at friends' house to drain the dog. G was exhausted by her very stimulating day, from normal AM walk w D, parking lots adventures, new house, toddler attacks, cookies, scavenging in a new kitchen for crunchies, etc.

ice & elevation appear to be assoc. w no groaning, I like that...
Sunny & warm today (a summery 21 degrees!), then back down tomorrow to normal 10-12 degrees.
Now, the "pyramid" - it's a classic (older) way of thinking about arthritic medication, & this is my understanding -
first and broadest tier is analgesics just for pain, some of these also mushing up into the rather well-populated anti-inflammatory tier, which goes one step further in trying to reduce the inflammation of the joints & affected tissues. (like tylenol & opiates just treat pain, but ibuprofen treats pain & inflammation). This latter class is the NSAID's - non-steroidal anti-inflammatories, and those coxib med.s some of which are notable in the news for assoc. w heart attacks or sumthin are in this tier. Most arthritics spend alotta time fooling with these guys as a background to other treatments, and balancing their good effects against their harshness on stomach lining thus also chomping on a nice collection of tummy-protectors.
Just above these basic med.s are the DMARD's, disease modifiers, which are a funky collection of materials to say the least - anti-malarials, gold injections, older chemo's, and I think some older antibiotics to list just some - how did they figure some of these out? - gold injections?!! These guys slow the actual disease down, which is good. But they are harder to tolerate. Typically they trot these out pretty quick esp. for younger patients to try & slow the disease as much as possible. Sometimes corticosteroid injections are in this group, but they have a limited usage window, more like one or two injections "just to see".
Next are the really fun biologics, the BRM's - these are mostly genetically engineered molecules that take out very specific components of the inflammatory disease machinery, like "surgical precision". Very expensive, infused or injected. Only about 4 or 5 in existence.
After that, you are at the top of the pyramid - you can opt for surgery to repair certain joints if they get really gross (on a defined scale), & in fact that is getting better and better, the artificial joints are getting pretty good & long-lived, the procedures are getting very standard & minimally traumatic w good recovery times...
I'm messing around up in the top two tiers, but oddly I feel like I'm really strong & healthy & flexible & active compared to most arthritics, & in fact compared to some of my ("healthy") friends who spend all their time hunched over their computers. ha!

over to Taylor Park to work on our suntans, read, & watch dogs & airplanes. Met Buddy & Kelli on the way back, G played w Kelli til neither of them could run. Also train stn & some toddling downtown, & two trips to corner grocery.

weird groaning-aloud level of foot pain right when I get into bed the last two nights, lasts about 20 minutes. what's that all about? totally new. track it a bit? hmmm, NB some pain IS a message, see if this might be different? maybe ice viciously in the evening for a few days.
Husband indicates that there is a basic lack of understanding on AP re the visual subtleties of my log - so, for the record, the green is carefully chosen "chartreuse", to represent a spring meadow in sunshine; then the other colors again are carefully chosen & ordered to appear as various little bright blossoms upon the spring meadow at my whim. For example, right now I am feeling the urge to rassle the dog cuz of the lack of blue - motivation from no-where, won't Gypsy be surprised. The YDY appears most often (apart from the walking) & at the top, to act as the stamens on the various flowers or as its own flower. And my ongoing logging is like a leisurely stroll through the afore-mentioned meadow. (I modelled it somewhat on the original Mario Brothers game, but more restful) So now we all know. :)

C • colors 2

down the creekside more or less in the woods, across via Ledgestone to the park, hung out a bit, saw Lady, met Bao (too hot to play), and played w Whistler. Got really hot, headed home, met Bosco. Thai-influenced salmon chowder w cute baby potatoes, gai lan, maybe some fruit, & remaining pita & dips from yesterday. Eclectic menu. Very interesting news from immunologist, gonna start on another home-administration w FOUR needles. yowza.

forgot trip to train stn to go for Thai lunch w dad-in-law...

realized a few days ago that as stressful as it was to consider hip surgery & the whole wheelchair/ scooter thang, it was so worth it.
My Cunning Plan has worked!
The deal here is, to transfer from one population to another is really stressful & complex, say from athlete to, uh, permanently injured/seriously less able, from non-wheel-chair to wheelchair person, from non-cancer person to cancer survivor ...but, there are people who are in each of the latter populations who are really good at being that, and are d*mn glad & grateful to be there, ie not dead or totally paralyzed or whatever (the next population, heheheh). There are clubs & chat-groups & so on for ALL the latter populations well except the dead one, it's such a standard experience being, say, a wheelchair person. But, Becoming one is Hard - D & I got so upset while we were "trying on" me as a scooter person, it was so hard, & for years I had a line there, basically wheelchair was so shameful, impossible, & I'd rather die. But, earlier this week, I was looking at a lady in a scooter at the store, and I was like hey now that chair's cool I want THAT one.
Transfer complete. Now, if the time does come, most of the emotion has been worked thru, & we can get down to the practicalities more effectively, without all the distress being piled on top...
so, hummous, pita, tzatziki, & falafel for dinner, plus a huge stirfry & some mango slices. A mediterranean vegetarian extravaganza.

C • we're all on the road to so... 3

afternoon walk timed just after monsoon - down the first bit of stairmaster, thru the woods, back up the bikepath, met Dallice & Tiffy, Tiffy puked, home via the corner grocery; mail, visited garbage room to check recycling for toys (there werent any!?), finished the pita breads (am getting good at those!) teatime....

PM walk while D ran. Saw Sybil the Shepherd, ahahahha! & G tracked D back by scent to the apt, I think.

thought I heard swallows this morning while still in bed, looked out when I got up, and they ARE back! about 2 weeks delayed from last year.
Off downtown today to tour Richard's cute little retro boutique hotel/pensione that he is AGM for, & is in charge of remodelling, what a dream come true for him! (Also perhaps the cupcake store. Perhaps. Our mouths are regrettable designed by millennia of selection to accurately identify & adore all the really primo yums out there - fats, sugars, & proteins rank high tastewise, so we'd unerringly stuff the nut or two, the berry, & the bit of gazelle fat into our skinny, needy hunter-gatherer bodies & thus (perhaps) survive. Now it's a different story, & here I am drooling over the very idea of cupcakes, delectable but un-needed blobs of sweet & fat that they are...)
http://www.buchanhotel.com/
Finished the kimono, now I will start on taxes.

train station downtown, went & looked at the Mercury at Canada Place instead of visiting cupcake shop since I love cruise ships even more than cupcakes. Then afternoon walk over to Taylor park, played w/ Leo on the way home. Evening walk, met Shelly, Coalie, & Rockie.

upon reflection, I am pretty sure my rheumatologist is an imposter, either a plain ol' space alien just trying to make it on earth, a shamelessly vicious drug company rep, or a rather dreary & ignorant female version of the character L. DeCaprio played in catch Me if You Can - (1) doesnt know her meds, (2) doesn't bother to/can't re-read patient chart (what does she write on there & why? -"fuh-fuh-fuh... wombat...I love pickles..." - it sure doesn't trigger any memories of ever having seen me before for her) (3) doesn't know Basic Info about inflammation...and so on. I wonder how her other patients cope.

C • doc 2

down to parkway, fiddled around, met Kelli & Blue. Over to park, met Cassie & Lady. Ate biscuit, read mail, watched kids & airplanes & civic workers. Meandered reluctantly home. Heard wild geese! Tea. Disc Drive. Tofu marinated in soy sauce, sherry, & tons of black pepper; peppers, onion chunks, snow peas in hoisin prep. Huge fruit salad. Time to lose weight!

AM swim. hope this was not too much, felt absolutely great, getting really strong! Cute little girl swimming w her grampa, had a neat suit on w/ built-in flotation, styled like a shortie suit.

down stairmaster to Ledgestone, then the Drama Queen stepped on a bramble or something in some grass & screamed & flailed, so the Drama Queen Enabler picked up the Drama Queen & did some cardio intervals (or whatever) carrying 13% of her body-weight (well, 113%) most of the way back UP stairmaster. Then the Drama Queen felt better about things, so the walk continued along parkway & up the bikepath (Drama Queen having decided Never To Walk On Grass, Never). Met Bilbo, Whistler, Breeze, Blue, & Casper, who was also being carried but he only weighs two lb...
Then downtown on train to transfusion, quite tired afterwards.

did everything I could think of. really cleaned out alotta joint pain.

walk over to "the other park" with D & G which was really fun, cool, grey, almost drippy weather. No dogs to speak of, altho we did see an X-Terra & picked up a Super-Manky Ball, gah...

rest day courtesy of my husband, to let my feet heal a bit. Just over to corner grocery to buy the paper, & a bit at IKEA, where we successfully resisted the urge to buy anything...

C • We need rest days. Have yo... 2

tired, so lay on bed, then did some RoM, bridge, cobra, sit-ups, anti-jelly-arm exercises, twists...Thai food and a coca cola for dinner, very zippy combination. G-dog spent afternoon quality time w Mr. Marrow Bone, then passed out in exhaustion.

RoM etc before swimming. warrior on both sides w mandatory falling-over afterwards, fun.

felt as good as when I was in college & thats saying a lot! Pushed for a few strokes, gotta remember to be Very Cautious even if it feels good. The King of Skin body bar from Lush that I bought last year is really doing a good job of keeping skin in good shape despite chlorine/extra hot water assoc w swimming - I used to be really uncomfortable for about 18 hours after every single swim, & now I have no problem! wow.
Started work on restoring the poster G chewed up, got sewing machine out, lamb keema on tap w broccoli & carrots...rheumatologist this afternoon.

around the block in rather solid rain, w a bit in the woods just for fun. G-dog had it w rain & bee-lined for home, very rare behavior, heheheh! then train stn, off to Vancouver for DR - enbrel no good, let's try humira, ho-hum, no surgery yet, but we are dancing around the top of the arthritis-treatment pyramid... gonna do up a raita as well, end of the cucumber, some tomato & scallion...maybe dress up the rice as well, raisins? yumyum!

salmon classic beurre noir approach, teeny potatoes & jerusalem artichokes roasted more or less whole w olive oil, rosemary, S&P...maybe brussels sprouts for a "Completely Round Vegetables" theme? wonder if I could roast them...
Oscar, Keith, & Anne coming over for 1:30 dog-walk. Remodeling kimono.

down the forest paths near the creek to Ledgestone w Keith & Oscar, played ball for a while, back up along the street.
B-sprouts seem to wanna do a butter & walnuts thing, so I'll let them party w the salmon filets rather than w the potatoes & J-chokes - planted one of the latter in a 6" pot on a whim while setting some rosemary cuttings up w rooting hormone this afternoon.

Q 1. all day today guys were taking stuff away from me & carrying it for me - do I project some kinda frail Fairy-Princess thang to get that?
Q 2. when I consider fitness or health as a stimulus to perform loggable activity, I feel nothing, but when I consider balancing the pretty colors, I think "oooh, time to add some pink/yellow/blue, yeah!" - more Fairy-Princess stuff?!

rassling the dog.

just set up the crockpot w pork & rootbeer (this appears to be a Real Recipe, who knew!? I thought for sure Anne was trying to fake me out :) for pulled pork sandwiches, second meals' worth of three I cut out of the piece I bought last week at PriceSmart.
Getting ready to go up to Value Village to shop for second-hand clothes for Derek & Dave's wedding next week, & dad-in-law's mini-cruise. I am pretty excited ! Maybe also a new bathrobe - I bought this one secondhand 7 years ago & it is starting to get holes...

C • pulled pork? 5

down to the parkway, over to the woods, down, down, then up-up-up the creek in the pretty spring woods. Visited the postman & a lady sunbathing who happened to have a dog-biscuit, sat in the sun & had a snack at the base of the hill, saw a wren & a hummingbird amongst the salmonberry blossoms, very romantic.
And, over to train stn, up to Highgate to VV - for just under $34 total (oh yeah!), got gorgeous royal blue french milk jug for serving cafes au lait to visitors (or cafe con leche to my dad -in-law), two nice summer blouses, a kicky purple summer dress, a classic navy brocade take on the LBD, two nice new dog-bed covers, and a kimono dressing gown that initially looked too long and no belt but then I thought hey, "who possesses both scissors AND a sewing machine?" no problemo...
Getting some WW buns happening for the pulled pork sandwiches plus BBQ sauce (cracked open the chapter in A Man's Guide to Grilling to get in the zone)...flax chips & bean dip, mango & kiwi salad, & I'm gonna try a version of that yummy zucchini thing Alfie made for easter, w onions & tomatoes & peppers, almost a ratatouille.

PM walk - played w Ariana, Odin, Ali, & Mog.

FINAL ENBREL BENCHMARK... too bad, so sad, I have a feeling this Friday the Dr will say no more of that incredibly expensive hi-tech juice will be going into my body, no-sir-missy. After 12 weeks treatment, I definitely still have arthritis - feet Really Hurt (but more in ignorable normal arthritis fashion so I can walk more), &... all other involved joints still unmistakably are involved. I think I do have a bit more energy (attributable to spring & colder sleeping conditions tho? - energy & feet & AM walk schedule created activity "spike" starting three weeks ago) & there is probably some improvement in small joints. So in ref to that final point, going off enbrel may create some rebound. yay. So next she'll try to get me to sign on to remicade or some such, I'm betting. gah.

fiddling about getting warm in the hot-tub before swimming.

presence of small noisy boy in pool unexpectedly triggered complete degeneration of this session into 25 minutes of lazy 3D otter/dolphin moves in the sun - if you squinted a bit (I didnt have to cuz my glasses were off) the bright turquoise pool, the brilliant blue sky, & the hot tropical green of the magnolias outside in the parking lot magically took about 28 degrees off our latitude...very nice!!
have decided to switch from plumeria wedding set to wearing stainless steel wedding band, who knows why...

fingers have skinnified, have to wear steel band on pointer-finger leaving plumerias where they are, two wedding sets are better than one I guess...

over to the park & then back up via dog-park, Ledgestone, & ravine path. dug a bit, sunny, met Marco the labradoodle towing his owner around the neighborhood on the way home. Then we climbed 10 flights of stairs cuz G-dog forgot to transfer my scan-card back into my wallet after I went swimming. Then I went to the corner grocery & bought oatmeal, organic mayonnaise for the summer, AND a coke, yum!!!
salmon cakes for dinner, salad, stirfry, brown rice. more yum!