A new week begins, middles, and is almost to the end already!

 

Carl is a laid-back character at the dog park, and more than happy to accept attention from new friends.  Except of course when he's running wild with a pack of other dogs.  He loves playing chase me!

He has always avoided going through the tube in the photo.  We're thinking it's because he would have to stoop/crawl; it's not big enough for him.  The little dogs that scoot through it are considerably shorter than Carl.

I am glad he's not into crawling.  I hope it means he won't try to go under the fence at my house!

Sunday was a beautiful day.  The temperature got all the way up to 63℉ in the afternoon.  It really is a week early for Carl's birthday "party" but the kids had checked the weather forecast next weekend and it was a 30-degree difference (colder next weekend).

Monday morning, I woke early, well rested, and broke my fast with rolled oats simmered in 1% milk and a cup of fresh blueberries.  I walked a mile inside with Leslie Sansone, something I started doing during 2023.  If I don't feel like going outside, and I don't have a trainer session, it's a good way to make sure I have some sustained activity.  I remember seeing lots of other Sparkers using her program "back in the day" when I was doing triathlons and training more vigorously, but at this stage in my life, the walking tapes fit my needs.

I had fuel saver points expiring Monday, too, so I took Dexter over to the Hy-Vee gas station and used them.  He was not yet down to half a tank, but you know, if a 25-cent discount is going to be lost by waiting longer, better to use it on half a tank than lose it for a whole tank.  

I've been clothes shopping online, with the wedding and reception in mind.  Here's one that I found that has a good bit of orange (bride's favorite color).

I got the e-mail confirmation that it has shipped, so we'll see if it passes the fit test, and the fabric test.  Since I'll have dog handling duties and weather in late April is unpredictable, I also ordered a top that I could pair with jeans.  You just never know.  Seven weeks to go, and an outdoor wedding. 

On the viewing front, I'm finally jumping on the Yellowstone bandwagon.  Watching episode 1 of season 1 on Monday.  Looked as though this is going to be this generation's Dallas or Dynasty.  I had this notion in my mind that the series was going to be set in history, as in when Yellowstone was first being discovered and settled.  Oops.  Not!  And after a few more episodes I decided it was darker and more violent than the Dallas version that aired in the 1970's and 1980's.

I have also been enjoying the re-boot of Quantum Leap, and something called Poker Face.  All three of these on Peacock.  

Tuesday:  workout with the trainer day.  Lather, rinse, repeat.  A very necessary part of my week!  

Tuesday evening, I got an invite to the old Spark maintenance group's new io group, and I trotted over, and got to see several old Spark friends are quite active on that venue.  They had some technical problems with the Google groups site they had been on but are finding an alternate solution.  I hadn't been very active over there, finding the interface "clunky" for me.  Probably just the way my brain works (or doesn't).  But I'm glad the group is there.

Spark really has splintered, but small "islands" of people are all over.  There are a bunch over on My Fitness Pal, a few Facebook groups, that new io group (formerly Google group), and a loose collection of bloggers.  Slowly, we're "losing" one another, like school graduates who scatter.

Ace and I opted out of our Wednesday afternoon walk as it was chilly and damp out and she hadn't worn a coat and we decided to sip Earl Grey tea and have sister talk instead.  A lovely break in a week, it was.  

Brrrr!  Thursday morning, we had big wet flakes falling.  The cats looked at me with accusing eyes from the deck, but they are the ones who insisted on going out there!

Snow-in-the-dark photos.  Prisoner goes into his "guard" mode, Rubia huddles in the corner.

It was trainer work-out day, being Thursday, and that felt good.

Looking forward to several deliveries... the wedding wardrobe pieces, some flavored coffee that's been delayed in shipping, and soon, the Carl portraits!

That's about it from here, I had best wrap up and post this!

Life is good.  Keep on Sparking!