Today was education day at Cardiac Rehab. The topic was how to exercise safely and effectively. We were provided several booklets on the subject aimed at helping us continue our workouts at home without endangering ourselves.
On my way to Rehab, I noticed a large contingent of folks standing on a curb waving placards and wearing t-shirts promoting the candidates of their choice for local elections. The polls are open today to vote for a state representative, a sheriff, a county judge, and others, so as soon as I got home from Rehab, we headed to our polling place to cast ballots. Turnout is usually low at the place where we vote, and today was no exception. We were the only three there at 10:30 this morning.
After we voted, we went to the college lake so Mother could get her two rounds of exercise. It was pretty busy at the lake today. A couple seated on a concrete bench had cast several lines into the lake and were watching their fishing bobbers. A family group of what I assumed to be great-grandma, grandma, mom, and child were gathered on the wooden bridge for snapshots. As we were finishing our second round, a group of about ten middle school children, along with their teacher and parent helpers arrived. I assume they were on an end-of-school-year field trip.
In the interest of conserving on gasoline, Hubbie and Shih Tzu accompanied us to the lake today so that we could run errands afterward, rather than making an extra trip later.
We didn't accomplish much during the afternoon. For supper, we tried a new sodium-free beef roast recipe using dried plums, dried apples, and golden raisins. It was very good, though folks would have to like the flavor of dried plums (otherwise known as prunes) to appreciate this dish.
Last evening, I attended a community theater board meeting, where we worked at setting the upcoming fall and winter production season. Beyond occupying a seat to help assure a quorum for voting purposes, my duties on the board have dwindled over the twenty or so years I've been on it. New, younger, and ambitious members are filling the void created by older ones. They are happily agreeing to direct and act in shows, as well as do the grunt work backstage. Hubbie and I spent years in all aspects of our little theater, but feel it's time to turn it over to others.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Monday, May 19, 2008
Gaillardia Flowers
Gaillardia, or blanket flower, was named for M. Gaillard de Charotonneau, who was an 18th century French Magistrate and a patron of botany, according to Wikipedia. Its common name...blanket flower...results from its resemblance to brightly patterned native American blankets.
A member of the sunflower family, it's popular in backyard gardens not only because it is so strikingly beautiful, but because it is so hearty, growing very well in harsh, dry, summer conditions.
Gaillardia flowers are just beginning to bloom in our yard, and we look forward to bunches of them, like the ones shown above that I photographed last summer.
Rose in Bloom
Saturday, I snapped a shot of the rose above as it was getting ready to open. Today, I captured it in full bloom.Other flowers are blooming in the yard, too, like Gaillardia, Sweet William, and Rose Campion, but this single, elegant rose caught my eye.
Average Monday
I arrived at Cardiac Rehab this morning 20 minutes ahead of the session, so that I could weigh and then relax for a few minutes before my blood pressure was checked. But I no sooner sat down than an exercise physiologist rushed over with the BP monitor.
"I haven't rested very long," I said, "so my pressure will probably be up."
"You're our star athlete," he said, "so your pressure will be fine." It was 130/62, when it is usually less than 120/80 after a few minutes sitting still. By the end of the workout, however, it was down to 109/52.
After I got home from Cardiac Rehab, Hubbie and I went to the worldwide discount chain store for groceries to satisfy our menu for the week. We stopped by the farmer's market first to pick up fresh vegetables, but the only thing available this morning other than green beans and cucumbers was tomatoes. We selected a small box of those.
By the time we got back from shopping, it was lunchtime. Since we are having a veggie supper, I indulged in a sandwich for lunch made on toasted wheat bread spread with yellow mustard, and topped with a thin slice of hickory smoked turkey, a thin slice of baby Swiss cheese, and slices of tomato and Vidalia onion, sprinkled with black pepper and sodium-free seasoning. Hubbie opted for wheat bread spread with salad dressing and topped with deli turkey and pepper Jack cheese. He had corn chips with his and I had a couple of tablespoons of cottage cheese. We both had low fat fudgsicles for dessert.
After lunch, Mother and I went for a walk at the college lake. The temp climbed toward 80, but a warm wind made the walk pleasant. Today, we were the only ones on the path. The ducks were inactive, hunkered down in pairs or clusters here and there around the lake. They quack-quaked at us as we made our rounds, but otherwise didn't bestir themselves. The large turtle sunned on its favorite log, and a small cottonmouth quickly swam for cover under a rock near the bank.
The rest of the day was quiet, with each of us going about our own household or yard business until suppertime. Our veggie supper consisted of boiled new potatoes, corn on the cob, sliced tomatoes, English peas leftover from yesterday, and yellow and zucchini squash, with onions, bell peppers, and seasonings, sauteed in butter Pam. We added no salt to the veggies, but at the table, we added a little light margarine, plus seasoning blend and pepper to the potatoes and corn. It took several weeks, but we are now accustomed to a low-sodium diet.
"I haven't rested very long," I said, "so my pressure will probably be up."
"You're our star athlete," he said, "so your pressure will be fine." It was 130/62, when it is usually less than 120/80 after a few minutes sitting still. By the end of the workout, however, it was down to 109/52.
After I got home from Cardiac Rehab, Hubbie and I went to the worldwide discount chain store for groceries to satisfy our menu for the week. We stopped by the farmer's market first to pick up fresh vegetables, but the only thing available this morning other than green beans and cucumbers was tomatoes. We selected a small box of those.
By the time we got back from shopping, it was lunchtime. Since we are having a veggie supper, I indulged in a sandwich for lunch made on toasted wheat bread spread with yellow mustard, and topped with a thin slice of hickory smoked turkey, a thin slice of baby Swiss cheese, and slices of tomato and Vidalia onion, sprinkled with black pepper and sodium-free seasoning. Hubbie opted for wheat bread spread with salad dressing and topped with deli turkey and pepper Jack cheese. He had corn chips with his and I had a couple of tablespoons of cottage cheese. We both had low fat fudgsicles for dessert.
After lunch, Mother and I went for a walk at the college lake. The temp climbed toward 80, but a warm wind made the walk pleasant. Today, we were the only ones on the path. The ducks were inactive, hunkered down in pairs or clusters here and there around the lake. They quack-quaked at us as we made our rounds, but otherwise didn't bestir themselves. The large turtle sunned on its favorite log, and a small cottonmouth quickly swam for cover under a rock near the bank.
The rest of the day was quiet, with each of us going about our own household or yard business until suppertime. Our veggie supper consisted of boiled new potatoes, corn on the cob, sliced tomatoes, English peas leftover from yesterday, and yellow and zucchini squash, with onions, bell peppers, and seasonings, sauteed in butter Pam. We added no salt to the veggies, but at the table, we added a little light margarine, plus seasoning blend and pepper to the potatoes and corn. It took several weeks, but we are now accustomed to a low-sodium diet.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Laid Back Sunday
We were in no hurry to get up this morning, and it was 8 a.m. before we did. I skipped a workout on the treadmill to give my muscles a day of rest.
Mother came over about 9:30 a.m., and we went for a walk at the college lake. On the parking lot, a middle-aged man had his leg hiked up on the back of his car, stretching before walking. A few minutes later, the young Hispanic man we'd seen yesterday arrived with his preschool boy, and toddler in a stroller. Today, the boy was riding a bicycle with training wheels and wearing a crash helmet.
The temperature is predicted to get into the 80s today, but it was in the low 70s this morning with very little humidity, making for ideal strolling weather.
As for wildlife, a duck was busy grooming its breast, pulling feathers out as it worked. The ducks are obviously in the process of spring molting, replacing old, worn, feathers with new ones, because white feathers dotted the bank around the lake.
We saw two more cottonmouth snakes this morning. Hubbie asked how we knew one of the pair wasn't the same one we saw yesterday. I told him that these two were smaller snakes, while the one we saw yesterday was quite large. The two today weaved their way among the grasses growing near the bank, holding their slant-eyed heads out of the water. The cottonmouths are convincing evidence that this lake is not a place to go swimming.
As we were leaving, a carload of young people drove onto the parking lot, and a young woman hopped out and placed something on the lawn under a tree. When they left, I went to inspect. It was a turtle. I decided the critter needed to be closer to the water, so I took it down to the bank, where it could join a number of other turtles sunning on a log.
Trying a new, very tasty, low-sodium barbecued pork chop recipe, listening to romantic Rod Stewart and Michael Bolton CDs, reading the Sunday newspaper, and watching evening TV, rounded out a perfect do-nothing-of-importance day.
Mother came over about 9:30 a.m., and we went for a walk at the college lake. On the parking lot, a middle-aged man had his leg hiked up on the back of his car, stretching before walking. A few minutes later, the young Hispanic man we'd seen yesterday arrived with his preschool boy, and toddler in a stroller. Today, the boy was riding a bicycle with training wheels and wearing a crash helmet.
The temperature is predicted to get into the 80s today, but it was in the low 70s this morning with very little humidity, making for ideal strolling weather.
As for wildlife, a duck was busy grooming its breast, pulling feathers out as it worked. The ducks are obviously in the process of spring molting, replacing old, worn, feathers with new ones, because white feathers dotted the bank around the lake.
We saw two more cottonmouth snakes this morning. Hubbie asked how we knew one of the pair wasn't the same one we saw yesterday. I told him that these two were smaller snakes, while the one we saw yesterday was quite large. The two today weaved their way among the grasses growing near the bank, holding their slant-eyed heads out of the water. The cottonmouths are convincing evidence that this lake is not a place to go swimming.
As we were leaving, a carload of young people drove onto the parking lot, and a young woman hopped out and placed something on the lawn under a tree. When they left, I went to inspect. It was a turtle. I decided the critter needed to be closer to the water, so I took it down to the bank, where it could join a number of other turtles sunning on a log.
Trying a new, very tasty, low-sodium barbecued pork chop recipe, listening to romantic Rod Stewart and Michael Bolton CDs, reading the Sunday newspaper, and watching evening TV, rounded out a perfect do-nothing-of-importance day.
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Lazy Saturday
Since we had nothing important on our calendar today, we snoozed late this morning, and took the day as it came. By the time I'd done a session on the treadmill and got ready for the day, it was already approaching 11 a.m.
Mother came over about that time, and we went for a walk at the college lake. What a beautiful, sunny day for a stroll. Only a few people were there. A young couple and their preschool boy left the path and went up to a flat area on the lawn where the father tossed a plastic ball to the youngster, who attempted to hit it with a green plastic bat.
A young Hispanic man pushed a baby stroller with a toddler boy in it, while his other child, another preschool boy, pedaled ahead on a four-wheeler toy vehicle.
On our second turn around the path, I spied a cottonmouth snake stretched out in the sun along the bank, head raised. I pointed it out to the Hispanic man, but it slithered into the lake when it sensed the vibrations of the little boy on his pedal toy.
The rest of our day was quiet. For our "fun food" Saturday supper, we fixed bagel pizzas and salad. My pizza recipe uses slices of provolone cheese as a base on bagel halves, each topped with sodium free canned diced tomatoes, a tiny bit of minced garlic from a jar, onions/bell pepper/fresh mushrooms sauteed in Pam, salt-free seasoning blend, dried crushed oregano and basil leaves, pepper, and shredded Monterey Jack cheese. It takes about 20 minutes to bake these yummy treats in a 350 degree oven.
Mother came over about that time, and we went for a walk at the college lake. What a beautiful, sunny day for a stroll. Only a few people were there. A young couple and their preschool boy left the path and went up to a flat area on the lawn where the father tossed a plastic ball to the youngster, who attempted to hit it with a green plastic bat.
A young Hispanic man pushed a baby stroller with a toddler boy in it, while his other child, another preschool boy, pedaled ahead on a four-wheeler toy vehicle.
On our second turn around the path, I spied a cottonmouth snake stretched out in the sun along the bank, head raised. I pointed it out to the Hispanic man, but it slithered into the lake when it sensed the vibrations of the little boy on his pedal toy.
The rest of our day was quiet. For our "fun food" Saturday supper, we fixed bagel pizzas and salad. My pizza recipe uses slices of provolone cheese as a base on bagel halves, each topped with sodium free canned diced tomatoes, a tiny bit of minced garlic from a jar, onions/bell pepper/fresh mushrooms sauteed in Pam, salt-free seasoning blend, dried crushed oregano and basil leaves, pepper, and shredded Monterey Jack cheese. It takes about 20 minutes to bake these yummy treats in a 350 degree oven.
Friday, May 16, 2008
Mixed Bag Day
We've stayed busy all day without really accomplishing much. The morning began with a session on my home treadmill, which is equipped with ski arms. I did 30 minutes of warm-up, aerobic walking, and then cool-down, plus stretching exercises.
After that, I occupied myself with household tasks before fixing one of my everything-but-the-kitchen-sink salads. By the time I finished making it, there was enough to feed two people, and I shared it with Hubbie. Today's concoction, on a bed of garden lettuce and green onions, included sliced strawberries, sugar snap peas, tomatoes, fresh mushrooms, sliced raw summer squash, leftover cooked green beans, leftover cooked rice, Craisins, leftover cold slaw, a couple of pecans, some slivered almonds, a couple of tablespoons of cottage cheese, and Raspberry Spritzer dressing. It was delicious.
After lunch, Hubbie and I ran errands that ended up taking us down that dreaded thoroughfare under construction. We sat and crawled, sat and crawled, and sat and crawled some more in traffic before finally arriving at the everything's-a-dollar store and then crossing over to the worldwide discount chain store.
Back home, Mother and I decided to go walk at the college lake, since she has not, due to inclement weather, had the opportunity to do so in several days. Today, though, was balmy and pleasant.
Others thought so, too. A middle-aged couple was walking, while a child, about eight years old and presumably their grandson, played nearby. Several young adults played volleyball on a court just up a hill from the lake. At one point, their ball bounced down the embankment and into the lake. The bravest among the players...a young man...cautiously waded up to his knees into the murky water and stretched forward to retrieve the ball. The child, who found this procedure fascinating, was invited to join in the volleyball game. As we walked, we could hear the young people praising and encouraging the boy as he attempted to get the ball over the net.
As for wildlife, we only saw the three large carp lazily floating near the bank, and ducks comically upending themselves in the water, feet peddling furiously and curled tails waggling, as they hunted goodies in the silt.
We got back home about 4:30 p.m., in time to prepare a 5 p.m. supper of tuna fish sandwiches and macaroni and cheese. As with the salad at lunch, the tuna salad (tuna rinsed to remove as much salt as possible) was "loaded" with diced apples, Craisins, onions, boiled egg whites, and pecans, and sprinkled with dill weed (dill pickles are too high in sodium), then tossed in light salad dressing. The baked macaroni and cheese dish was made from a low-fat, low-sodium recipe.
Later, Hubbie and I attended ballroom dancing. There were only six of us there tonight, due to other events around town, including high school graduation, and a dance recital. I hope more folks will be able to come next week. The six of us had an absolutely great time, though, and we got in a lot of practice doing Latin and Swing dances. We ended, as usual, with the Heavenly Waltz.
A treadmill workout, a walk around the worldwide discount chain store, a stroll around the college lake, and two hours of vigorous dancing should certainly qualify as sufficient exercise for the day! By the time we got home last evening, I was hot and sweaty enough to indulge in a bowl of fat-free chocolate ice cream. Yum.
After that, I occupied myself with household tasks before fixing one of my everything-but-the-kitchen-sink salads. By the time I finished making it, there was enough to feed two people, and I shared it with Hubbie. Today's concoction, on a bed of garden lettuce and green onions, included sliced strawberries, sugar snap peas, tomatoes, fresh mushrooms, sliced raw summer squash, leftover cooked green beans, leftover cooked rice, Craisins, leftover cold slaw, a couple of pecans, some slivered almonds, a couple of tablespoons of cottage cheese, and Raspberry Spritzer dressing. It was delicious.
After lunch, Hubbie and I ran errands that ended up taking us down that dreaded thoroughfare under construction. We sat and crawled, sat and crawled, and sat and crawled some more in traffic before finally arriving at the everything's-a-dollar store and then crossing over to the worldwide discount chain store.
Back home, Mother and I decided to go walk at the college lake, since she has not, due to inclement weather, had the opportunity to do so in several days. Today, though, was balmy and pleasant.
Others thought so, too. A middle-aged couple was walking, while a child, about eight years old and presumably their grandson, played nearby. Several young adults played volleyball on a court just up a hill from the lake. At one point, their ball bounced down the embankment and into the lake. The bravest among the players...a young man...cautiously waded up to his knees into the murky water and stretched forward to retrieve the ball. The child, who found this procedure fascinating, was invited to join in the volleyball game. As we walked, we could hear the young people praising and encouraging the boy as he attempted to get the ball over the net.
As for wildlife, we only saw the three large carp lazily floating near the bank, and ducks comically upending themselves in the water, feet peddling furiously and curled tails waggling, as they hunted goodies in the silt.
We got back home about 4:30 p.m., in time to prepare a 5 p.m. supper of tuna fish sandwiches and macaroni and cheese. As with the salad at lunch, the tuna salad (tuna rinsed to remove as much salt as possible) was "loaded" with diced apples, Craisins, onions, boiled egg whites, and pecans, and sprinkled with dill weed (dill pickles are too high in sodium), then tossed in light salad dressing. The baked macaroni and cheese dish was made from a low-fat, low-sodium recipe.
Later, Hubbie and I attended ballroom dancing. There were only six of us there tonight, due to other events around town, including high school graduation, and a dance recital. I hope more folks will be able to come next week. The six of us had an absolutely great time, though, and we got in a lot of practice doing Latin and Swing dances. We ended, as usual, with the Heavenly Waltz.
A treadmill workout, a walk around the worldwide discount chain store, a stroll around the college lake, and two hours of vigorous dancing should certainly qualify as sufficient exercise for the day! By the time we got home last evening, I was hot and sweaty enough to indulge in a bowl of fat-free chocolate ice cream. Yum.
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