The spirea always has a second bloom. It’s not nearly as full as the first, but seeing those little pink blossoms again makes me happy.

I finished Knife  by Jo Nesbø this morning. I’ve read a few of Nesbø’s books before and, for some reason, I always feel a bit distanced from the protagonist, Harry Hole. That may be because I haven’t read the entire series, in order, and haven’t given myself a chance to really get to know him. I’m not sure. Nevertheless, it’s an excellent read. I stuck with it and found myself applauding Nesbø’s skill. He writes honestly. All of the recurring characters have flaws and secrets. He is a true storyteller and knows how to plot an intricate mystery. I found myself reading non-stop this morning as I realized we were headed to the denouement of the narrative. I was riveted.

So, I suspect that the ‘distance’ had less to do with the story and more to do with me. It’s a wonderful mystery and I recommend it highly. Now, it’s on to Kate Atkinson’s newest, Big Sky.

I’ll be doing a lot of reading today as I’ve tweaked my back again. I don’t know how, something relatively minor of course, but it caused a fair amount of pain yesterday and last night. So I’m forced to take it easy. I’m convinced that it’s the same initial injury from last spring, not fully healed. Frustrating.

That’s Lonesome Dove at the very top of a very tall (and dead) tree across the street.

I’ve been meaning to mention that I’ve lost 12 pounds in the past 3 months or so. And that is because of two things: being more physically active in the spring and summer, yes, but mostly because I stopped eating any sugar over 2 months ago. I quit cold turkey, just like I did when I stopped smoking in the mid-eighties. I’m not dieting. I’m still eating the same meals I usually do. But I have cut out all sweets, all sugar. If I have a craving, I eat raisins or grapes. Raisins, especially, seem to help with any cravings. This isn’t to say it’s always been easy. When I’m down, or tired, or – like now- I’m in pain, I want some comfort food and for me, that’s chocolate or a piece of pie or cookies or hot chocolate. But I haven’t succumbed to the temptation.

Don, of course, is as supportive as the day is long and for a long time he didn’t want to eat chocolate in front of me, but that truly doesn’t bother me. I usually have some grapes while he’s having a couple of pieces of chocolate.

I did this several years ago and the weight dropped off then, as well. I’m convinced that sugar is not good for me. That’s where I gain my weight. And for the past few years, Don and I were apart a great deal of the time. We were lonely. We both ate sweets as comfort food. It took its toll on me. I couldn’t believe how much weight I had gained! I knew some of it would come off when the weather was better and I was out and about and mowing and gardening, but I knew I had to do something else, as well.

So far, so good. I’m just letting it happen. I don’t have any fixed goal in mind, but I’m very pleased with the results so far. Despite Don telling me that he could tell I was losing weight, it wasn’t until this week when I caught a glimpse of my face and upper body in the mirror that I realized I was looking thinner. And healthier.

So I’m determined to stick with this and since it’s been a while now, I’m past the detox part of the process. It’s all good.

Happy Friday.