Author Archives: Tricraftual
Can I Banish Sugar?
I haven’t posted in months and at this point find it hard to post. I will talk about it at some point I guess. Not today. Today I want to talk about sugar. I know it’s not good for me. Probably not good for anybody but I’m just talking about me. A friend came by earlier and she reminded me that she has almost removed sugar from her diet. Got me back to the discussion in my mind. I just don’t see how I can pull it off.
If I “unsweeten” my diet, I’m not sure what I would eat. I eat sweet stuff with most meals. I am diabetic so I don’t drink juice (on rare occasions) no sweetened drinks (but diet stuff all day) Brown sugar on oatmeal. Preserves sweetened with juice on my toast. Ketchup, honey mustard, duck sauce. Should I go on. I was raised by someone who thought that sugar was a food group. Glazed carrots (with sugar), candied yams, stewed tomatoes (sugar), barbecued chicken and on and on. Miracle Whip ( no mayo in my house growing up) Sweet pickles with dinner. Cranberry sauce with chicken, mint jelly with lamb. OMG it looks worse on paper.
If the sweet is missing I am not particular about eating it. I have stayed away from things like cake and cookies the last few weeks but that doesn’t put a dent in my addiction. Well I could go on and on. What small change can I make and stick with? Ideas?
Meters to Yards?????
Today when we got to the pool the lane lines had been placed along the length of the pool instead of the width. We went from 25 yards to 50 meters. OMG I thought that this was going to be an impossible task. Not!!! I actually did two laps easily. I wore my flippers which most everyone did. I did four groups of two laps. Resting after each group of two. Before I left I took off the flippers and did two more laps. Not bad. Maybe I’m getting the hang of this swimming thing. Now I have to translate the concentration that I have developed in the pool to life in general. Sound simple. It’s not.
I still exist!
I haven’t written for weeks. I will explain why in the near future but suffice it to say that I’ve been very busy. It is so easy to drift away from blogging. You miss a day and then a week etc. I have been looking for focus and find myself at loose ends because I’m not teaching this summer. Yoga is turning out to be a centering force for me. Hopefully it will help me gather the thoughts so that I can put them down on paper again. Until then I will post when I can. Hope you all are well.
Does the Weather Dictate our Moods?
I was psyched by the warm weather week before last here in New Jersey. Dusted off the garden tools, pulled out my walking shoes and thought of what I was going to do with my summer. Then the temperature started to drop. Today I put on my denim jacket with the flannel lining and actually I needed a sweater. It was windy and cold. We’ve turned the heat off and I’m looking at the fireplace and seriously considering starting a fire. I don’t want to go to the park and leaving the pool will be like it is in the fall. I could just stay in bed with the covers pulled up. What do you think? Is it chilly where you are?
Mental Games
I felt almost comfortable swimming today. Fifty yards (2 laps), rest, fifty more rest etc. If I push to seventy-five yards, that insane chatter comes back. Not enough breath, too tired, where the heck is the end of the pool? I’ve tried singing like Tony suggested but somewhere along the way I get distracted. I wonder what people concentrate on when they are swimming long distances. Crossing the English Channel, participating in the seven-day 120 mile 8 Bridges swim in the Hudson River! Wow. Any long distance swimmers out there let me know
Thursdays Swim Plan
So I have stopped fighting. Yesterday and today I began swimming a lap counting to twenty and doing a return lap I am up to twenty-two laps. Still not non-stop but I think that it’s progress. Next week I will try to do fifty yds. (two laps) and then rest and return. If I work my way up I should be able to do the half mile in a month or so. That’s the plan for today.
Cherry Blossoms – Newark, New Jersey Style
The City of Newark, New Jersey takes a lot of hits for its crime rate and riots that took place nearly fifty years ago. It bears the brunt of comedians jokes and the disrespect of people who have never visited. Well I have lived here for thirty-six years and today I would like to tell you about a very positive aspect of the City. Cherry Blossom Trees! Branch Brook Park which runs through much of the City’s North Ward and through a section of Belleville is the home of a larger collection of Cherry Blossom Tress than the nation’s capitol. In April of 2012 the number of trees in the park was 2,700. There may be more now, the county is always planting new trees to replace lost trees and supplement where possible. In additions there are Cherry Blossom trees in other parts of the City adorning the urban landscape.
The Cherry Blossom festival brings thousands to our park with their cameras and oil paints. The elderly, the young and all in between. Today I drove my Mom and a friend to the park to enjoy. It was a nice day. Enjoy my pictures.
Garden Beginnings
If you are new to my blog you may not know about my garden. I love my garden and the best thing is that we eat from it all summer. I haven’t mastered the layout process and no matter how hard I try, I lose control of some part of it every year. I have so many tomato vines I can’t see the tomatoes. I will try again to prevent that from happening. Anyway, this year I am planting the peas early since they practically fry if they are planted to late in the season. I bought a blueberry bush and I am going to try to protect the berries from the squirrels and birds. That may be difficult but I will net the shrub to start and see how that works. We will be using the composte we made all winter this year and I am excited. I will keep you informed.
Bed 1
Bed 2
Bed 3
Nothing But Boston Tonight
There is nothing fitting to write about tonight. We are all devastated by the events in Boston this afternoon. As someone preparing for a triathlon, seeing the horror that took place truly saddens me. We assume that an event like this is going to be a joyous occasion for the athletes and those there to support them. While we have been made aware of the potential dangers since 9/11 if not since Oklahoma City, we are still terror neophytes. I can’t put into words the sorrow I feel for those killed (including an 8-year-old boy we are now told) and severely injured. I have spoken to my college roommate three times today. She lost her fiancée in the World Trade Center and I knew she would be freaked out when she heard about Boston. Not to mention that her brother and his family live in Boston (they are fine). The world that I grew up in is gone forever. I am so sorry for those coming behind my generation. There is nothing more to say.
“Live Life Active”
Weight Watchers is beginning a six week initiative called “Live Life Active” and since activity and Weight Watchers are so important to my current lifestyle I should get in the groove immediately. So let me tell you a little secret. I am not feeling the level of activity I need to be involved in now. My knee has really been hurting and I pushed last week. Today I don’t feel that I am going to be at my best and I am traveling on Tuesday. So I figured if I put it here I may be able to muster the energy I need. I think I’ll walk tomorrow after school but I won’t push. It’s a start.
First Steps the Hardest 