Category Archives: Comments by Frankie

A lifestyle change…Weight Watchers

The new year began and I promised myself I would eat better and exercise but it was now February and no changes in my life. Time for action…instead of talk.

My daughter and I went to a meeting on February 1 and joined Weight Watchers. Bonnie has a girlfriend whose whole family is doing the program and losing weight. There is a special right now where you don’t pay a registration fee and you can pay $39.95 a month and have access to the e-tools on the computer. We have been using the e-tools a lot.

Our second time at Weight Watchers, Bonnie lost 4.4 pounds and I lost 4.2. Wow. We are very impressed with ourselves and the program. It didn’t feel like a diet because we could still eat whatever we wanted. We are using the point system instead of the core system. It is really teaching us portion sizes and making us more aware of our water intake as well as fruits and vegetables. I didn’t realize how few fruits and vegetables I normally eat. No wonder I am overweight. Bread and meat and desserts seem to be my main diet.

The meetings are great, too. The book says people who attend the meetings are likely to lose 3 times more weight. The meetings are very motivational. People sharing cooking ideas and tips they have learned on their own.

A lifestyle change is what I needed and now I see a way to get there. If you want to lose weight and change your eating habits, join Weight Watchers. I know I have gone twice but I feel so good about it….and me. Can’t wait to get on the scale this week.

A different kind of bird story

Well, I have done a lot of gripping about that stupid Mockingbird that keeps pooping on my car mirrors but now I have a good bird story.

We put a fake owl in our front yard near our cars thinking that might get rid of the Mockingbird. Now we have a real owl visiting us every night around midnight. It is a large owl…to us…and it sits in my Mimosa tree which is bare of leaves right now. We could see the owl so clearly because there was a light from our neighbors’ yard behind the tree and owl. We sat quietly on our back porch and watched him for awhile. We had flashlights and shined them on him to get a better look and he didn’t seem to mind.

I looked up owls in Florida and found my owl. It is called a Barred owl.

My daughter first saw the owl a couple weeks ago when she was letting the dogs outside. She said it was creepy looking and he just sat there as she shined the flashlight at him to get a good look.

Then a couple nights ago when she let the dogs out, the bird flew right over her head. She said she could hear the wings flapping and making a swooshing noise.

My husband wanted to see the owl but he goes to bed early every night because he gets up at 5am every morning. We told him the Early Bird would never get to see the Night Owl unless he stayed up past l0pm. So he stayed up last night and saw the owl.

I suppose the light shining into our yard from the neighbors’ and that big tree in our yard makes a great spot to catch food for the owl. I read they can eat l000 mice a year. We have a lot of moles in our yard so I am assuming that is what he is feasting on from our yard. Also, the owls like palmetto bugs which are in abundance in Florida. I really like that owl. I sure hate palmetto bugs.

We are all very excited about our new bird friend. I have a bird feeder out for the smaller birds and we have an abundance of Blue Jays, Blue Birds and Cardinals which are so attractive. We often see Woodpeckers. And during the winter we see a lot of Canadian Geese flying overhead making loud honking noises as they pass over our home.

The other day we saw about 70 large birds flying overhead. I believe they were the vulture-type birds that you see along side the road eating the dead animals. That was a sight to see, too. It reminded me of the movie “The Birds” by Alfred Hitchcock.

My daughter who has been here since the beginning of November has commented on how many birds there are here. It is winter and birds fly South. Or maybe it has something to do with her living in the city and us living in the country. Either way, she seems to be enjoying the birds as much as we do. She is always surprised by the chickens when I let them out of their pen and let them wander around on our land. She said she just doesn’t expect to see a chicken in the backyard when she opens the door.

Enough for now…bye.

Disgusting Pooping bird update

Well, you know that bird I told you about that was sitting on my mirror of my car and pooping all over the side of the car and the mirror? Well, he/she is still there sitting on the mirrors and doing his/her thing. It is so aggravating. We put the owl out on a post and I keep chasing it with my bb pistol but he/she is fearless. The darn thing keeps coming back for more.

I covered the mirrors with plastic bags for awhile there but he/she just decided to sit on top or sometimes on the hood of the car. Anyone got any ideas?

Tax Time

Are you anticipating a refund this year? I bet you already have the money allocated for something special. This year we are wanting a set of mattresses and maybe one of those thin HDTVs. Last year, the refund went toward my daughter’s wedding.

Gathering all the tax stuff together is always such a pain. I tell myself every year that I will be better about putting everything all in one place so I can just grab the stuff and sit down and get it done. I use Turbo Tax myself. If you haven’t tried it, you should look into it. It is so simple. They ask you questions that you probably wouldn’t have thought to even put on your taxes.

Maybe a shoe box would work good. I could just throw all the receipts in there. The man that I work for just throws everything in a grocery paper bag and then carries it to an accountant. I imagine she loves that. I can picture her dumping the paper bag out on her desk. lol

I guess I should have made a New Year’s resolution about my taxes, too. Get more organized. Keep everything in one place.

I never did get my stuff to Goodwill or Salvation Army so that is one tax deduction I lost. I got it into bags and boxes but I just didn’t get it there. Actually, I kept thinking I would take the clothes to the shelters instead. Our bank does a “sweater drive” every year. I was thinking it should have been a “coat drive” until I realized I live in Florida.

So, I guess my only tip would be get organized early this year.

New Year Resolutions

Do you make resolutions each year? I know I do. Almost every female probably figures a few pounds shed this year would be a good idea.

Also, I make resolutions to:

Talk to my children more often. Emailing just isn’t the same.

Save more money…some years, any money would be nice.

Go to church more often.

Get more involved in my community, do volunteer work.

Either expand my own business or get a full-time job.

Wow, I could go on and on. I didn’t realize there were so many things I was unhappy about. lol

The truth of the matter is, it is all up to me or you if they are your resolutions. There is a saying that it takes 21 days to form a habit. I guess if I went to church 21 times in a row, it would be easier to make myself get up and get my lazy butt out of bed. It just becomes part of your routine.

A New Year’s Resolution is a GOAL. Now, I know about goals…heard about them for years. Let’s see, you write them down and keep the list on your refrigerator where you will see it every day. You break it down in small attainable goals…daily, weekly. Sounds simple enough.

Losing weight should be so simple. You certainly can break that down into small attainable goals. You can control it daily. But, it is so hard. I try to keep junk food such as chips, candy and cookies out of the house so I am not tempted. I am working on portion control, now. Even if I splurge and eat a piece of chocolate, at least it isn’t 5 chocolates.

Discipline….I don’t like that word. Maybe part of my problem is………I think I am all grown up and can do whatever I want.

When I was growing up and mom made a cake, I loved to lick the bowl as we called it. I remember thinking, when I grow up I am going to make a cake and just eat the batter. I actually tried that and it was pretty good for the first teaspoon or two. It tastes better on the finger or spatula than it did by the spoonful. Too much of a good thing, I guess.

So, in closing I will say: Whatever your resolutions are, make sure you make time to make great memories, too. With my Dad’s passing, I find myself remembering so many good memories about him. I hope someday, my kids will do the same about me.

Happy New Year folks.

Christmas Holidays/bah humbug

I wish there were some magical way to make myself get into the Christmas spirit. Decorating the house with a tree and lights, buying presents and sending out cards just doesn’t appeal to me. It hasn’t for years. Many years.

Perhaps I don’t like Christmas because I don’t have any small children at home and my only grandchild lives almost 600 miles away. I have lived in Florida now for 10 years and being away from my family probably hasn’t helped the situation. Also, warm weather just doesn’t feel like Christmas either. Actually, I can’t remember when I really enjoyed the Christmas season.

I know the true meaning of Christmas is to celebrate the birth of Jesus. Santa seems to be much more popular than Jesus at Christmas.

People seem to go into so much debt at Christmas, too. That is ridulous. I prefer my family to do/or buy me things throughout the year to show me they love me. My daughter Bonnie bought me a little ceramic chick for $l.99 at Goodwill, I believe and that meant a lot to me. She knows I love and collect chicken stuff. She saw it and it made her think of me. That is love to me. Not buying me an expensive gift just because it is Christmas.

The really great part about the Christmas season is that family get together and enjoy a great meal and each other’s company. Sometimes you are sleeping on an inflatable bed or a sofa sleeper but you are always happy to be there with people who love you.

I was thinking maybe I will start a Christmas Club savings account at the bank. Maybe that will alleviate some of the money stress I feel at Christmas.

It is difficult to decide where to be at Christmas…with my mom, sisters and one brother in Newport, NC…with my son and his family in Raleigh, NC or my daughter and her new husband in Woodstock, GA. My daughter, Bonnie is temporarily in Florida (which is sooooo nice). We use to go to my son’s house because he has a daughter and being at home with the tree and presents is important. But now that she is getting older, they have opted to have Christmas morning alone with her. I can certainly understand that. Afterall, you can open presents and spend time together anytime during the Christmas season.

So…we are spending Christmas with my Mom this year. This is her first Christmas without Dad. I know that is going to be difficult for her. She loves presents, I think. She will miss Dad’s presents and presence.

Well, I guess the least I can do is say “Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.”
If anyone has any suggestions on how I can start enjoying the Christmas season….please let me know.

November Winding Down

Wow, what a hectic month. Thanksgiving is behind us now and Christmas is right around the corner. And then New Year’s Eve. I hope everyone had a great Turkey Day.

We went to Tennessee this year for Thanksgiving. My Dad passed away in October and I knew it would a difficult time for my Mom. Mom and my sister, Jeannie met us at my brother Jerry’s home in Tennessee. The food was great and the company was even better.

My yard sale turned out pretty good last week. I think I will actually have a yard sale myself this Spring. Lord only knows I have enough stuff to sale. It is amazing how much “stuff” we collect over the years.

I have been working in my future garden spot. I have been spreading the manure and hay. Starbucks has bags of coffee grounds that you get free and you can add to your compost or garden area. I picked up a bag the last time I went there with my daughter. Looking forward to picking up a couple more of them since my garden area is large.

I think I may have missed the appropriate time to plant bulbs for my flower bed. I will have to look that up since it is still Fall and the temperature here was 64 degrees at 9pm last night. Isn’t the internet great? I love having so much knowledge at my fingertips.

I have a subscription to Mother Earth News and I am thoroughly enjoying the articles. Even my daughter is interested in it. She is really interested in taking care of our environment. The solar homes information and building your own home stuff is really stimulating information. Makes me want to get to work and make my home and life more self-sufficient.