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This is the second day the scale hasn't budged. On Memorial Day Monday Ed wanted to "go do something," so we invited my sister to go have lunch with us in Mount Pleasant, then visit the aquarium in Charleston. The restaurant we chose had a limited bar menu, so thinking I was still being "good" I ordered the grilled shrimp and side salad. The salad was gross. It was as if they took a room-temperature bag of Dole salad, dumped it in a bowl, and sprinkled cheddar cheese on top (I ate around the cheese). Actually, I'm certain that's exactly what they did. Bagged salad has that faint, almost chlorine taste that's a dead giveaway. I ate about 5 small forkfuls and gave up on it. The shrimp was REALLY good, but it was drenched in butter and salt, and I had been low-sodium, low-fat, nondairy for 3 weeks prior. Butter and salt is now the enemy. After the aquarium my sister announced she was "kinda hungry," so off we went to the Neighborhood Tap House, which also has a limited bar menu. I got the smoked chicken wings, which were also good. Well, that was enough to stall my weight loss progress and I've been kicking myself ever since. I have finally admitted to myself that I simply cannot eat the way everyone else does if I want to be healthy and maintain a healthy body weight, because after years of unhealthy food my body is not an "efficient machine," as my sister puts it. Yesterday I was back to my raw plant-based. In future we go to restaurants that have healthy options for me, or I don't eat, sip water and call it intermittent fasting.
I've started working on Bucky's portrait again after a dry spell of "life is too busy for art right now." And I'm on my second painted dollhouse chair (photos to come on Instagram @beadyeyedbeth). I think this will be my last animal portrait for a while, as I can feel a pull towards landscapes with stormy skies, and beach waves.
Ed's been working 6 days a week, and as he approaches retirement age he's feeling the frustration every time the guys he does subcontracting work for (mostly plumbing and electric, with some HVAC thrown in) keep piling new jobs and more work on him, and he has a hard time saying "no" to money. He has easily 3 times the energy I do, but he hasn't taken a boat out fishing at all this year, and only a couple of times last year, and he's really missing it. He's still looking for reliable help. The last two guys were a joke.
The art studio Ed built for me is still lacking proper countertops and trim work, but it's finished enough for me to use and that's what counts. Whenever he has free time he'll get it done.
The deck cats are doing well. Oscar has been sneezing with a runny nose, so I'm keeping an eye on him. The current crew consists of Oscar, Momma, Theon Greyboy, Creamsicle, Spot, Smoky, Callie, and Mini-Me. Indoor-Outdoor cat Morris is still overgrooming and losing hair even after prednisone and Apoquel, and I'm now convinced it's a pain response to his broken tooth. He has a vet dental appointment next week which will cost over $1,500 for an extraction and cleaning. My other vet in Aiken charges a third less than that, but it's a long drive and inconvenience, and Morris is already not feeling well, so I won't put him through that. Luna (dog) and Molly (cat) are doing great. Apoquel every day has been a miracle for Luna's allergies and yeast overgrowth and she will be on it for the rest of her life.
Current audiobook is Robin Hobb's "Fool's Assassin" as I'm working my way through her entire Realm of the Elderling's series for the 4th, or 5th time.
Today will be laundry, vacuuming, and working on Bucky and the dollhouse chair. No errands to run. No phone calls to make. It will be a good day.
