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Losing Weight: How I Did It (And a Hike)

May 15, 2014 at 9:23 am by Claudia

I’ve casually mentioned that I’ve lost weight this year but I haven’t really talked about it in any detail. I don’t really use a scale, but I would estimate I’ve lost between 15 and 20 pounds and I’m thrilled. Don was amazed at the change and others have remarked on it, as well.

How did I lose the weight?

I cut out sugar and sweets.

Everyone’s weight battle is different, of course, but for me, sweets were my downfall. I have an enormous sweet tooth. I love to bake. And if I am bored, or tired, or stressed – out come the cookies and cupcakes and pie and cakes. And before I know it, I’ve added on the pounds. (My diet in all other areas is pretty healthy. I’m a vegetarian. I eat a lot of vegetables and natural foods.)

I am 5 feet 9 inches tall and I used to weigh about 125. Then when I moved into my forties, I seemed to hover around 130-135. Fifties? Forget it. My metabolism changed, my body became curvier and less angular, I gained weight in the hips and midsection.

I still felt like a thin person inside, but the mirror told me another story. So this winter, I cut out all sweets. One exception: my hot chocolate. But that was it. I was rigorous about it and I’m happy to say, I still am. I allowed myself a cupcake once or twice, but it was no big deal because I immediately went back to my regimen.

Cutting out sugar and sweets is the smartest move I’ve made. And after a week or two, I didn’t even miss them. I replaced them with natural sweets like apples, oranges, peaches, and grapes. Sometimes when I had an urge for sweets, I would grab some raisins, take my time chewing them and before I knew it, the urge was gone.

I got through the hard and lonely winter without breaking my diet. I got through my mom’s passing without breaking the diet. Was it tempting? Yes. But I like the way I look now and I’m hoping to lose another ten pounds.

Now I want to be more fit. However, I hate to exercise. Truly. I have absolutely no discipline where that is concerned.

I do love to walk, however. This past winter made it almost impossible to walk – the ice was too treacherous, there was always a lot of snow on the ground. But now that Spring is here, Don and I have begun hiking. Both of us really want to be more fit than we are. Mowing the lawn helps. Gardening helps. The more active lifestyle that Spring and Summer bring makes a difference.

So yesterday we took another hike. This time we made it around the whole loop – 5 miles. We really pushed ourselves and it was worth it.

How about some more photos from the glorious hiking path up in the mountains? (Taken with my iPhone.)

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Gorgeous rock formations are everywhere.

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A black snake napping in the sun.

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View of the cliffs above us.

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This photo and the next one are a bit indistinct, but I had to capture this bird of prey that was in one of the trees on our path. Right after I took this, he flew off, followed by another bird who swooped down over the path, flying right above it for several hundred feet.

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Can you see him flying over the path? Check out that wingspan! Amazing. I can’t believe I managed to catch this shot.

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What a view!

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Those are the Catskill Mountains off in the distance.

Two young women were hiking ahead of us. We lost track of them until we rounded a bend and saw them stopped at the edge of the trail, looking off to the right. They had their cameras out.

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This is what they were looking at, down in a little valley below.

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This is the best closeup I could get with the iPhone. A Black Bear! He/She was resting and was definitely aware of us, but we were far enough away that we were not considered a threat. I wish I had taken my big girl camera with me! This was a large adult black bear. Beautiful.

A giant bird of prey swooping down over the path ahead of us and flying out over the mountains. A black snake enjoying the sun. And a very large Black Bear. All in all, an amazing hike!

We high-fived each other at the end of the hike and then took the obligatory self-portrait. (I’m not a fan of the term “Selfie.”)

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We’ll be doing this again. It’s glorious up there, the scenery is stunning, and the exercise is good for us.

I vow to stay with this diet. I like being thinner. I have more energy. I feel better about myself.

I’ll be back tomorrow with another Evolution of the Dollhouse post.

Sending my prayers to all those in harm’s way in San Diego .

Happy Thursday.

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Let’s Take A Walk

May 14, 2014 at 8:36 am by Claudia

Let’s take a little walk around the property and see what’s growing and blooming in this late-to-get-going Spring.

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The wild honeysuckle that grows all over this property is blooming, much to the delight of the bee population.

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The climbing hydrangea that I planted about 6 years ago is taking over the shed. It’s supposed to start blooming after 4 or 5 years but nary a bloom has been sighted.

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Until now. I couldn’t believe my eyes. In fact, I had just finished a sentence that included the words, “I guess this will never bloom,” when I saw these. Only two, but who cares? A small victory.

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The lilacs have bloomed. I walk over to that side of the driveway several times a day and inhale. What a glorious scent.

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Our woods open up to this big field, which is owned by my fellow blogger Breida and her husband. I walk through our woods daily and always take a moment to stand and gaze out at this vista.

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To the left is the back of our neighbor’s property. He’s been busy stacking enough wood to last him through the apocalypse. Check out his beautiful lilac bush.

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This tree is on the edge of my other neighbor’s property, which also abuts Breida’s field. Isn’t it pretty?

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The flowering quince is still blooming.

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My delicate yellow tulips are open. These were planted long before we moved here, as were the daffodils and a couple of the hostas and sedum.

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The big garden bed on April 30th.

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On May 7th.

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And on May 13th. As you can see, the trees have really filled in, there’s green everywhere, and the perennials are much bigger.

I planted lots of morning glory seeds the other day, as well as zinnias. I haven’t filled my barrels or my galvanized planter with flowers yet – my budget is very, very tight – and I haven’t bought any hanging plants for the porch. Those things will have to wait a bit. Waaah! I want them now!

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When my friend Heidi’s shop (which was called Hi Ho Home Market) closed, she gave me one of her signs, which we have placed in front of the birdbath – right where we park our car. Sort of perfect for the funky patio area, don’t you think? We love signs and if they can be used with a sense of humor, all the better.

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I made some towels for the dollhouse bathroom by using baby washcloths, a tip I picked up somewhere on the Internet. I think they look neat but they’re too bulky at the moment. I’m going to trim them down a bit.

Today I have to mail off all the items I made for the swap. I spent most of yesterday morning wrapping each item and figuring out how to pack everything so that nothing is damaged. Can’t wait to see what everyone else has created!

Happy Wednesday.

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Hiking & Birdwatching

May 13, 2014 at 8:32 am by Claudia

We live in a beautiful area of the country. As I look out my front window, I can see the mountains known as the Shawangunk Ridge. They extend from Northern New Jersey to the Catskill Mountains and are a continuation of the Appalachian Mountains. The locals call the mountains ‘The Gunks.’ The Gunks are stunningly beautiful, with layers of bedrock and spectacular vegetation. They are protected by several preserves, one of which is the Mohonk Preserve. We got wind of a special offer for a month-long free pass to the Mohonk Preserve, which has beautiful hiking trails, so we snapped up some passes over the weekend. Yesterday, we took our first hike.

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The area we hiked in is popular with rock climbers, so we stopped and watched them as they did their thing. Me? No. Afraid of heights.

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Trees seemingly growing out of the bedrock. Do you see the rock climber?

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Here you see Don starting his own arduous ascent.

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Oh wait. I lie.

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The view from high above the Hudson Valley.

It was absolutely gorgeous. We’re going back as soon as we can.

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In the early evening yesterday, Scout let me know she needed to go out, so I headed toward the kitchen door. Hold on. Not so fast! There was a pair of mourning doves on the birdbath. I didn’t want Scout to disturb them so I held her off. The doves stayed on the edge of the birdbath for at least thirty minutes. They were just hanging out, I guess.

I love mourning doves. I love their haunting calls. They are gentle, sweet birds.

These photos were taken from inside the kitchen. I was entranced. The one on the right spent a great deal of the time preening. The one on the left occasionally hopped down to the bench and then back up to the birdbath.

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A catbird joined them. They weren’t fazed by him.

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Then a robin stopped by. The other dove is on the bench.

And yes, there was a bunny just to the left of this photo.

I’m telling you, it’s a Disney world around here.

Eventually, the doves flew upward from the birdbath, landing in the catalpa tree. There they stayed for several minutes until they took off and soared into the trees at the edge of our property.

And Scout, tired of all the waiting, was finally let outside.

Having you been watching 24? Oh my goodness, we are so happy it’s back! I love that series. And in another installment of Claudia’s Former Students Who Are Doing Incredibly Well Out In Los Angeles, my former student, Kim Raver, is back as Audrey, Jack’s former love interest and daughter of the President of the United States. Kim has had a great career; she was in Third Watch, along with another former student, Anthony Ruivivar, as well as Grey’s Anatomy and a host of other series. She’s beautiful, not to mention very talented, and the camera loves her. She’s also a lovely person. She and her fellow classmates were part of a group we took to the Edinburgh Festival in Scotland, where they performed two plays by playwright Craig Lucas, a BU alum. It was an incredible experience and lots of fun, to boot.

Kim can cry on screen like nobody’s business. I’m in awe of her crying skills, and believe me, it isn’t at all easy to conjure up tears again and again while the director does several takes. It’s a gift.

That’s all for now.

Happy Tuesday.

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Losing Weight: How I Did It (And a Hike)

Let’s Take A Walk

Hiking & Birdwatching

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

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