Morning calm
I am working on the seasonal habit of stepping out on the deck and taking a moment to start my day by letting the calm of my own smallness in the face of nature wash over me.
Lean back against the rail, look up... what's the sky showing me? Clouds, stars, or rain? Wind or stillness? Breathe in. Greet the kitties, who are typically curious about what their hu-mom is up to! Then step inside and start the coffee, fill the hydration water glasses for the day, and come back upstairs to start a blog.
The fasting report
When last I wrote about tracking my fasting (my latest experiment in lifestyle habits), I said I was targeting a 12 hour overnight fast. I have extended that, to a 13 hour target for the overnight fast. Six of the past seven overnights I have had at least a 13 hour fast from dinner to breakfast, with no evening snacking. I am pretty precise about the tracking... last stick of sugar free gum or sip of bio-coffee, once done, starts my fast, and first sip of morning coffee with almond milk added ends it. It might be another half hour or hour or even more before I eat my oatmeal in the morning, but almond milk and sugar free gum do count as eating in my fast tracking.
It's been a month since Spark closed
How are we all doing? Some are still blogging, over here. Some have slowed down on the blog frequency, might be reading, might not. But the presence of "new" blogs seems to have become a trickle.
Back when Spark was a "common ground" we had the ability when one blogger or another would take a break, of discovering new Spark friends. I believe this is what I miss the most. Yes, there were some faithful folks that we expected to see, but there were also the "featured" new writers, folks that we hadn't known through their blogs for years. The connection of searching, seeing the new Spark blogs... and discovering kindred spirits.
Blogspot does not have a similar connective feature. There is a way to find new blogs posted on My Fitness Pal, but the link to them is broken on the site. Here's the correct link to "recent blogs" on MFP. I keep forgetting to check it out, even when I go over and post my link to this blog in a blog over there.
Bottom line, a month after, it's just not the same. But I carry on with my own blogging the program as I go. It's just a lot more work to find each other.
This morning's walk photos
Would you believe the geese are invading the park?
Anyway, as I got closer, a definite goose, white cheeks and all, emerged from the landscape, and I widened the lens to catch it before it might fly off. I was actually pretty surprised it hadn't flown away when the other walker passed it.
Then she (I'm assuming the goose to have been a she) waddled a bit and sat down on the ground! She flexed her neck, and nested there!
I was so fascinated watching her, I almost missed her mate, who was over by the little bridge!
Anyway, after taking the photos, I kept on walking, and it started to sprinkle as I got to the far side of my loop. I decided to cut my walk short, and came on home, carrying with me a sense of having seen something wonderful in the midst of suburbia.
The pep talk:
Now let's all get after living our best choices, this one and only Friday, September 17, 2021 we will ever get. We are each and every one of us worthy of self-care! Life is good. Let us Spark on!
✨💖🔥🎇
Beautiful cloud picture.
ReplyDeleteYes, having to get used to Blogspot.com – not that I have blogged recently, but love reading others’ blogs (like YOURS!). Not the same, but at least it’s a good way to keep in contact.
Thanks... I'm on the lookout, and check my Reading List every day, just so I won't miss anybody... but that still doesn't give the discovery of new folks! And yes, it is a good way to keep us in contact!
DeleteJust love outdoor walks, ya never know what nature-treat you’ll see! It poured toward the end of my morning walk, too BUT was already so sweaty from the humidity that it really didn’t matter! AND yes, the ease of Spark is sorely missed!! Eissa7
ReplyDeleteYes, love the surprises... squirrels, bunnies, birds, dogs, cats... and people... which differ by the day! And flowers, tree colors, clouds, planes overhead... just keeping the sense of wonder alive.
DeleteI gradually drifted to IF of 16-8 and comply most days. In keeping with learning about Leptin and Gherlins on SP and researching them further, I try to avoid eating between meals to give digestive tract a chance to work like it should, i.e., prevent the constant stop-go signals for insulin release.
ReplyDeleteNice pics.
Two places where I felt a tremendous calm sense of my place in the Universe were the Redwood Forest in CA and Grand Canyon.
Garage door opener replaced this morning with a some sticker shock from the one, same brand, installed in 2004.
This afternoon my cuddle buddy, KC the Sunshine Dog, has a vet appointment for a second tumor on his tail that is larger than the one drained in August. That one had old, dried contents which couldn't be analyzed but this tumor which appeared within the last two weeks is warm to the touch so likely blood work labs will be on the agenda.
Have a pleasant rest of Friday.
It seems to be a migration, over time, an evolution, from dieting, to healthy lifestyle habits, to getting back to letting the body guide us... you're a few blocks further along than I, being at 16-8. One of the nice things about Cronometer as a tracking tool is that it tracks both the fasts and the nutritional content of what I eat... all in one tool.
DeleteI can feel the calm of your two places just reading your single sentence about them!
Here's hoping things turn out well for KC, and woo-hoo for a new, working Garage door opener. The house keeps getting a little more functional with the passing years, budget permitting, of course!
Your experience and mine with the overnight fast have been similar... I am not wanting snacks in the evening, and I also don't wake up starving, either.
ReplyDeleteLove that morning ritual, Gill!
Mother Nature, in her wisdom, have geese mate for life. It's an amazing feat.
ReplyDeleteThis site is frustrating. Trying to leave a comment can cause error messages and I'm learning to copy (sometimes) before I hit publish. Today was not one of those days. I get an error message that requires shutting everything down, cleaning the cache and cookies, and then restart. This is the only place this happens. Ugh! If I lose enough, I'll eventually remember...I hope.
Happy Friday. Wishing you a great weekend.
I am so sorry for the site issues. You are not the only one who has experienced them. Thank you for your persistence in commenting anyway!
DeleteWishing you a wonderful weekend, too. It's cool here this morning.
Wordpress’ blog reading list insists on suggesting other blogs, and I skip over them to get to the ones I have on my list! 😂
ReplyDeleteI suspect it is using some sort of algorithm to try and figure out what genres I like. Since the topics former Sparkers are writing about vary, it’s kind of funny watching the algorithm cast about, trying to hit on something that will catch my eye...
🤣 Oh, that in itself is almost enough to make me come over and try it out! Once upon a time I bought a Furby, to try to figure out its algorithm in "learning" English. Turns out, it's mostly just the passage of time. But we get our amusement where we do, Geeky friend of mine!
DeleteHave a wonderful weekend!
Thanks for the blog great photos too :)
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome... gives me a mission for the day... what would I like to share... and remembering to try to capture an image.
DeleteToday’s dark morning sky was laced with white clouds. When I saw the stars of Orion’s Belt framed by them, it was magical!
ReplyDeleteLove the suburban geese. Nature rocks. ❤️
Nature indeed rocks... even humanity cannot overwhelm it completely! Have a great weekend!
DeleteI actually use your blog when looking for 'old' sparkers, and have found a few too. Now that my family seems thrilled I am posting pictures and memories they are very encouraging to keep blogger, so my blog is a bit different that when I was on Spark but I am a daily blogger now. I love starting my day checking in with you and Paula and the Lakeside Lady. Hugs!
ReplyDeleteI'm enjoying getting to know your family... so many echoes of my own family history in yours! Nothing wrong with growing your presence!
DeleteI fined some geese extra brave . I live in a rural community . Many of the farms have gotten a lot smaller and some don't farm the fields . And for years the geese would stop and stay for a few days twice a summer , at the start and at the end of the summer and say hello to us all , they were often a noisy bunch . Some even stayed all summer . But the brave ones were the guys who walked the roads . Back and forth IN front of us when we are driving on " their " roads . They had us trained well , we stopped they walked . Their gone down south now . They all got their covid shots before they flew across over to the USA . Take good care of them while their down your way .
ReplyDeleteOh, the geese down here are fearless. But not quite as aggressive as one I met in St. Louis area... I think she must have been protecting a nest.
DeleteI’m always reading, just not always commenting. Sometimes the words escape me.
ReplyDeleteI see you! Glad to see you, too. Living the life, working on taking care of the one and only body you'll ever be issued!
DeleteI'm still here, but haven't been blogging nearly as much as before. I've had a busy several days so am just now catching up with reading ...
ReplyDeleteGlad to see you! I've kind of hit a wall as far as writing goes myself the past few days, so I get it! I do get out and read, but as I used to say over on Spark: "real life trumps the on-line"! So live on, and see you when you drop in. Always glad to have you!
DeleteYou said it. The link was broken.
ReplyDeleteI miss the "conversation" and know there is a platform or two out there that would add back that feature but I'm not going in. I'm enjoying less tech time and more real.
Yeah. I'm sulking the past three days... slump city, emotionally, anyway.
Delete