TheCapeBlog

I’ve lost 22 pounds since coronapocalypse began in earnest, early March.

It was relatively easy for the first month, but by week 10, it was getting harder, and now in week 11, I’m hungry almost all the time.

I’ve kept to a calorie count of around 1200 per day, sometimes less. NOOM recommends restricting what they call “red” foods, which includes oils and nuts, which is actually more difficult than calorie counting alone, especially being veg.

According to the NIH, I “should” lose another 21 pounds to have a “healthy” BMI, and that’s at the top of the range. I’m not sure that kind of sustained weight loss is realistic.

I started this because I don’t want to put unnecessary strain on my STAR ankle replacement. Over time, it’s become part of not feeling unworthy and less than everyone else. I have a new goal, to stop worrying about what other people think of me. I’m trying to forgive myself for past errors and embarrassments.

Ron and I have been walking between a mile and a half and two miles a day. The walks have given us an incentive to explore the many Upper Cape conservation areas, both public and private.

Insects are starting to attack, so I Dead-Bugged them yesterday evening.

Light rain this morning, ended early.

Fine walk yesterday at Shallow Pond Woodlands. Enough hills to be a bit aerobic, and the winding trail could have come from a Sierra Club brochure.

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I washed out a couple of buckets and the truck. Did a little more edging of the tulip bed, which had been packed with grass.

Investigated a charge for an AARP supplemental medical policy for Ron that pays him for hospital stays and also reviewed the hospital deductible for his medical plan. Decided to keep the AARP coverage.

Squared him away on his reimbursements from Cal for medical premiums.

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I mowed, dethatched, fertilized and watered the front, Ron tuned up the spreader and mowed the back. A hummer visited briefly to enjoy the sprinkler.

We had a fine walk yesterday and as we were heading back, had a chance to talk with some riders from Waquoit.

Returned the acetone to Walmart.

We skipped yesterday but did hikes the two days before, one at the Canal and the other at Bartolomei Conservation Area.

I picked up overpriced plants in Woods Hole yesterday and produce at Coonamessett and Pariah Dog Farms.

Planted the lettuce and kale and transplanted herbs that were growing in the new strawberry patch which, incidentally, has flowers.

Spotted the first asparagus!

New watering system is working well except in the front yard. I’ve been using it on manual, with success.

Had a chat with Cathy yesterday in her parking lot!

Cindy’s son got married!

Ron insisted that he didn’t want to eat out or spend money for his birthday, so I put together a shelter-in-place party für zwei: a burrito bar from on-hands and rice cooked this morning, purple and white alstroemeria and a piece of chocolate cake from Roche and a six pack of Dos Equis from Andy’s.

We’d hoped to do a walk but rain is predicted for late this afternoon, which also put a crimp in my plan to finish removing usable soil from the edging sod.

We got what was left to be done in the shed, put the good soil in one of the veg gardens and the weeds in the truck. I also cleaned up the truck bed a little. Ron watered my transplants by the stairs.

We did the Mashpee River Ridge Trail yesterday. I thoroughly enjoyed it. The trail has been beautifully groomed by AmeriCorps, we had the woods to ourselves and there’s enough variation in the terrain to provide aerobic exercise.

Ron spotted berries that are safe to eat. We think they are winter berries. He tried one and survived. I found mayflowers, which we haven’t seen anywhere else.

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The tech visited this morning and found that our system needed a firmware update. He was reassuring about our cleaning tools and said we could use a blower to get rid of the leaves if we want.

He thinks the underproduction problem is now solved.

Ron bought lunch, two-fers at Subway.

Our irrigation system is working, but the front devices are spraying too much on the driveway. I have a call in.

Forwarded the last set of documents to Cape Cod Coop, which has given us a preliminary approval for a refi loan.

It looks like Jeny has her own farm? I ordered plants for pickup this Saturday in Woods Hole.

Phone rang a little after midnight this morning. G was at Cape Cod Hospital being treated for a fall, had lost track of the time.

Quite a crew here this morning, including the 80 year old founder! Three generations.

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Ron and I did a long walk to the herring run in the Santuit Pond Preserve, got lost, found our way back. Ron shot a spectacular video of the herring.

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He did a shop at Walmart and Shaw’s. I washed and swept the driveway and transplanted some ground cover to the Emma garden, which was pretty well dug up.

We had another mouse burial, this time a small family that was in a hole next to the foundation.

Made banana bread this morning and except for laundry, didn’t do much else.

Helped Ron order some meds.

Ironed the scarf Jan gave us but in the process of untangling the fringe, ripped it. I pinked both ends and when I have the energy, will hem them properly. It’ll be much easier to launder; irons beautifully.

We walked around the neighborhood and met some cordial people on the east side of Winslow Farms.

I woke around 4:30, went back to bed around 6.

Ron has a) washed more solar panels and b) prepped and set out the hummer feeders. These included setting up the ladder, sterilizing the feeder parts, making the sweet water and greasing the ant traps. Not a small amount of work.

I did the transfer station run this morning and started to edge the rose bed. Was interrupted to hold the ladder for Ron. I emptied the barrel of wood chips for mulch.

I cleaned out the water line closet, including a small mouse carcass, and put the den back together again, more or less.

The electrician installed Ron’s new lights: what a difference! He said the lights are of high quality, which is a relief since I ordered them online from a company we haven’t traded with before.