Reading and the naughty list

 

This volume was part of my birthday haul.  It's short, only 104 pages, but written in an old style that I sometimes have had trouble with in the past.  Think Dickens.  

However, the narrative is so compelling that I soldiered on and finish it this morning.

Originally put out in 1912, it tells the life experience of one person (the narrator).  I was kind of disappointed to discover it was a work of fiction.  But the author, James Weldon Johnson, has an impressive history of his own.  

He wrote the lyrics to "Lift Evry Voice and Sing".  He lived from June 17, 1871 – June 26, 1938.  He served in the diplomatic corps (appointed by Teddy Roosevelt) in Venezuela and later Nicaragua.  

The author clearly knows of the material the narrative covers.  The final paragraph resonated strongly in me, driving the point home.

Sunday I did get two more Christmas cards to the mailbox around the block.  It was sunny and about 40℉, quite nice for December.  There wasn't much of a wind, and it felt oh, so cheery.

I was invited to the bride to be's Dad's side of the family Christmas get together on the 18th, so I have a second place to take treats.  How much to make?  Depends on how far the ingredients will go.  15 adults and 2 young children.  Doable.  Add to the list of retirement joys, I have time to do these things at my own pace, not crammed between work and shuffling my own kid's activities.

I slept well Sunday night, and Monday morning started much the same with candlelight and Christmas music.

Learning to appreciate black coffee

I have been doing this "intermittent fasting" thing for over a month now, and I've discovered a few things in that month.  One, knowing that putting even artificial zero calorie sweetener in my coffee or almond milk breaks the fast.  Two, I can in fact bear drinking it black.  Three, most importantly, not all coffee is equal when it comes to drinking it black.  Last Christmas my son gifted me with a bag of Fresh Roasted Coffee from The Cannon Bean.  The Cannon Bean is a small company founded by one of his army buddies.  And it is now my go-to first mug of the morning because it is one I enjoy black.

Item number four is that having that mug of black coffee alters my perception of my later in the day "treat" coffee, which is flavored with coconut mocha and a splash of almond milk.  It seems much sweeter than it did before I introduced the starter mug of black coffee.

Speaking of the Fasting experiment

I am beginning week six of this experiment.  I have found it pretty easy to do.  Of course, I have total control over my own schedule.  Except for the day of jury duty and Thanksgiving Day, I've had no interruptions to that freedom.  

What's freeing about it is that there are no specific "rules", other than the fast itself.  Inside your eating window, when you put your meals and what constitutes them is entirely up to you.  Most people who are seasoned campaigners in the dieting world don't get it.  They still want macros and calories counted.  But that's what is making it perfect for me.  I was burnt out on all that tracking and worrying whether a combination food I was eating "fit".  No points, WW people, either.

This does not mean don't pay ANY attention.  The little app gives you vague advice as you log general outlines of what was in your meal.  It will tell you you're on track for fruits and veggies (without you having to tell it which fruits and veggies you consumed), or that you should try to have protein in your next meal, or fats with your veggies.  Just gentle nudges for quality nutrition.

In any case, I've settled over those first five weeks into a pretty regular 16 - 17 hour fast, which leaves 7 - 8 hours of an eating window.  This would not have worked back in my working life, but it works just fine now.

On the naughty list!

No, not me!  Rubia!  Or as I hollered just after the big crash, "CAT!"

I have this lovely little CD holder that I purchased at the State Fair decades back.  My collection was all numbered, and if you move the slider to where your list says that album is, and lift the lid, it brings up the CD you wanted!

Not now!  She jumped up to the table (where I had foolishly placed my CD file so I could get at the Christmas music easily)... and CRASH!

I was eating my fast-breaking oatmeal with blueberries at the time.  Breakfast was interrupted to assess the damage.  The cat was put outside.  And the Monday interrupts have begun.

Hope y'all have a better start to your Monday than I did.  I'll let you know the outcome tomorrow.  Despite this:

Life is good.  Spark on!

😿🎄💖🔥