The Great Shape Up

So the other day I discovered some serious flab on my body. How/when did that get there? I thought come on, I walk for a mile or two every single day (in all kinds of extreme weather) with Mr. Duncan, how did this happen? Years ago I accepted the fact that I will always be curvy (ok, it's a nice word for "a little chubby" ). And though I have never had a flat abdomen, I've never had a volume of sagging flesh there either. ICK. GROSS. I try to eat right, try is the key word here, and I must admit I've been indulging too much lately. I can't seem to get enough chocolate. Oh, and butter, I smear it on bread and graham crackers mostly, and it's soooo yummy.

"It's age isn't it?" I asked this of my sister who is very wise and older and more knowledgable than me. She confirmed my suspicion. The older you get, the more things go downhill she told me. Sigh. At 48 years old, what will I look like 58? I'm concerned, very concerned. No, no, no can do, and I won't ever accept that. I am determined to fight it every step of the way.

This morning I dragged out my Gazelle and worked out. I forgot how fun this really is, truly. It's actually entertaining with earphones blasting the Twin Cities local FM Cool Oldies channel, a fabulous workout was had. It is wondrous machine, and why oh why did I ever stop using it? Oh ya, now I remember, it had something to do with getting up at the crack of dawn. I can't sleep at night if I work out in the evening, and well, I do have to work during the day. Sigh. Well I guess rising at the crack of dawn isn't the worst, the sagging expanse is. I am positive that the wondrous Gazelle will combat this sign of aging.

Stay tuned, hopefully, in a couple months I hope to be writing that I've toned my body and that though I will still be curvy, I won't be sagging anymore ;) I have my fingers crossed.

Wear Blue for Oceans

Today is wear blue for the oceans day, and so I am wearing an aqua turtleneck, blue jeans, and a blue plaid scarf ;) This event is intended to inform people of the great need to act now to restore the health of the oceans.

I have learned throughout the years of vacationing with my favorite Orcas in the San Jaun Islands (this is Ruffles the big guy of J-pod pictured here at sunset in July of 2009) that our oceans are in bad shape. The waters around the islands are heavily laced with PCB's (polychlorinated biphenyls), and the whales themselves have HUGE levels of these poisionous toxins in their blood. This substance KILLS. Sadly, many of my whale friends have passed away in the past 15 years, and researchers point to the toxins in the water, as well as to the decline of the salmon population, the Orca's main food source.

There are huge garbage patches in the ocean, full of fishing nets and gear, plastic products, and other debris, I have read that one of those dumps is twice the size of Texas. Twice the size of Texas. Now let's think about that for a moment. That is one big trash heap, created by the carelesseness of human beings. Click on this link http://discovermagazine.com/2008/jul/10-the-worlds-largest-dump to read more about this terrible reality.

I also have to mention too that the world's oceans are becoming very acidic due to the carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere. We all know that CO2 is the main proponent of global warming, and is also the mainly the fault of, you got it, human beings. Sigh. The good news is that President Obama has made it a top priority of his administration to clean up the oceans - YAY President Obama! You can help and learn more by going to http://www.wearblueforoceans.org/ to learn more about this very important issue.

Crazy about Coffee

I love coffee. There's just something wonderful about a good cup of joe with a little cream and sugar stirred into it. It is happiness in a cup. The older I get the more I drink. It's 7:00 in the evening and here I am with yet another huge mug of the delightful brew. I'm getting to be a lot like my Dad, who drank coffee from sunup until it time for bed. Well, I'm not quite that bad yet, and hopefully I won't ever be that crazed by the bean. But who knows? I guess only time will tell.

Minnesota, the Frozen State

It is frigid, below zero, oh and did I mention that it is so cold that it hurts the skin on my face when I am outside? It is truly brutal. Each and every day I walk with Mr. Duncan (his rules), and so I am exposed to the arctic air for a lengthy amount of time. It makes me tough I suppose, but am I a little zany to be out walking in dangerously cold weather even though I am so bundled up that I resemble Nanook of the North? Absolutely. But there are others who are also out walking with their pups, amazingly so. My Tennesee cousin says the Norwegian in me will keep me warm, and yes, I guess he is right. Crazy though, we all of us are here in Minnesota. There are definate perks to my madness though, last Sunday while out walking in our favorite woods, we were rewarded with the site of a large and very beautiful red tailed hawk. This was a definate thrill, and well worth feeling, well, frozen kinda like a swowman. Ah well, January is the coldest month, things can only improve, I hope!




The "my toes in the sand" picture does warm me up a little :)

Hello 2010

Welcome to 2010, a brand new year and a brand new decade. This first day of the new decade begins my official blogging adventure, Stephie Jean. Hopefully it will be a worthwhile endeavor, and a creative outlet for me.

What is to come in the next 10 years? Who knows, but it is my wish that it will be filled with much happiness for all :)

Happy New Year