Late April
8:32 a.m. - 2013-04-27


April sure went by fast. I have been working on the afghan (on square 40 of 63), have a top cut out for M, knitting a pair of socks for A, and trying to stick to my diet. The key to diet success, I have found, is my checklist, and the availability of tortillas.

I carved a little stamp that has boxes to check off for all the food group allowances, and I find that if I use my notebook and the stamp, I can see right there in front of me that I already ate all my fats and breads and should really, for a change, eat a vegetable. Also, I find it easier to stay on the plan when I have my healthy half white/ half oatmeal tortillas handy because I can eat one for lunch smeared with hummus, with sliced pepper or tomato tucked in. This saves me from wandering around not knowing what to eat while over-snacking on chocolate chips.

I recently had a knee injury (don't know what happened, the knee just started hurting) which led to yet another trip to the doctor. She told me, Here do these exercises, ice the knee and you'll be good in 6 weeks. Here's hoping, but anyway, this led to some interesting conversations I never expected to have with my MIL. We took her to Filoli Gardens for a lovely outing, and both she and I were using a cane. Mine is lovely shiny black, and hers is lovely shiny bronze. We talked all about canes and which are good ones etc., and she told me about her desire to get the cane she had seen advertised on TV. It supposedly stands up by itself and swivels or something, so my SIL ordered it for her from Amazon. The reviews of this cane were mixed, so I hope it works out for her. She should have received it by now, so I'll have to call her and see if she likes it.

The Gardens were wonderful, the day was gorgeous, and we had a great time. Now we have to whip our own garden into shape. The spouse had a burst of energy and dug up the center bed, so we are getting ready to plant the cucumbers and onions. Today he plans to dig the big side garden, but I don't know what I'm going to plant there yet. So far, I have started the cuks, winter squash, peppers, basil, beets, poppies, onions, and eggplants. First the weather was darned hot, but now it is cold nights and nice days.

We went and saw 42 last night, and it was a great movie. Harrison Ford was barely recognizable and excellent as Branch Rickey. At one point, I (no expert on the Dodgers), asked my husband if that character on the screen was Pee Wee Herman, but he laughed and told me it was Pee Wee Reese. That's what I meant, but it makes me wonder why the other Pee Wee is lingering in my subconscious. The sets and costumes were wonderful, and during scenes in a stadium, I found myself reading the vintage ads painted on the walls around the field. Anyhow, I really enjoyed this movie, and Jackie Robinson was one class act.

Today I am making some cookies for the spouse to snack on. I am trying some new recipes from the King Arthur cookie cookbook, butterscotch blondies and some peanut butter and chocolate chip bars. I am using the old cake pans from my childhood.