Day 398: Bonus Miles

I told myself when I started this cross-country bike ride one month ago that if I lost any weight on the ride, I would get bonus miles. One bonus mile for every pound I lost. Since it has been a month now, it's time to weigh in and see if I get myself any of those bonus miles.

After riding 210 miles this past month, I was sure I was getting some weight loss benefits. A couple weeks ago I noticed my clothes were fitting better. Then we started juicing 11 days ago - and we're still going strong - so I really knew there would be some bonus miles. But when I stepped on the scale, I was very surprised.

17 pounds.

210 miles of biking + 11 days of juicing = 17 pounds lost in one month!

Now, that in itself is an exciting thing. But just as exciting is that those bonus miles are getting me closer to Sisters, Oregon. I'm also excited to learn that hubby and I are going to be able to take a real trip to Sisters to coincide with my biking trip. And if all that isn't excitement enough, that trip will be taken in our brand new car that we just purchased last night. After a couple years of talking about it and having to delay it because of injury, then a surgery, and another surgery, and another surgery, then me not able to work, we finally decided this was the right time.

17 pounds and a new car. What a way to start a day!

Day 397: Mystery Monday

I decided to do another mystery picture. The last one from Day 377 turned out to be fun. (At least for me.) I'm needing some fun right now, so here we go again.

You might have something like this somewhere in your house, so hopefully this one will be easier.

Any thoughts?

Day 396

I'm trying to train our cat again. This time it's not just a fun trick like the one from Day 353. This one has to do with my mornings.

The cat sleeps inside most of the night. In the early morning hours she bawls to be let out (and we certainly abide). Then around six in the morning hubby lets her back in. She eats, she bawls, then she jumps on the foot of the bed. She runs up the bed, up anyone on the bed (me), then uses that person's shoulder (mine) as a launching pad/springboard to jump up on top of the bookcase headboard. She daintily walks around the lamp, the tv controller, and the box of kleenex and parks herself on top of any piece of clothing I might have on my dresser.

And there is where she proceeds to clean herself and fall asleep.

I'm now keeping things off the dresser, hoping she'll get the message and stay off. But she doesn't. She still runs through the same routine, but seems to bawl even more now that there isn't a soft place for her. So now my plan is to get her to quietly sit on a blanket on the dresser and off my clothes.

I'm starting to wonder who is the trainer and who is the trainee, though. Looks like she has trained herself to act like an Easter egg hiding in the grass.

Day 395

It was the nicest day of the year so far with temps in the 70s and beautiful blue skies. A day like this meant it was time to work outside again, but it also meant it was time to put the clothesline back up. Finally.

I sure missed it. A year ago exactly (on Day 29), I made a clothespin bag. That bag made it through the entire summer and will be on my line again this year. Unfortunately, no clothes went up on the line today because the weather turned off bad in the afternoon.

Luckily I captured several pictures before the storm hit.

When we first moved into this house, we had bunches and bunches of Johnny Jump-Ups. But as we tilled soil in our various flower beds, we started getting fewer and fewer of the flowers returning each year. This year we have just one single plant.

While my tulips in the backyard aren't yet blooming, those in the front bed are. I also came across some other flowers in the front bed that are only a couple inches tall.

I checked to be sure the hummingbird nest is still there. Now we just need the mama to come back.

The clouds moved in and the gusty wind kicked up, ending my outside work (and picture-taking) time.

Day 394

I have to fess up. It's probably pretty obvious looking at the rate I'm turning out quilt tops.

I've been sewing more than I have been biking.

I have plenty of reasons excuses why the biking hasn't been taking center stage. The old one broke, the new one was delayed in getting here, we've been juicing, it's spring break, and so on and so on. I should have been at my next destination by now, but I'm not and there is no one to blame but me.

I changed that today. As of today I'm again spending more hours biking than sewing. Too bad the cars on my latest quilt top couldn't help me get down the road faster.