Today’s lunch was a shake:

1 C chopped broc
¼ C unsweetened applesauce
Apprx 7 walnut halves
½ banana
2 T powdered egg white
½ teaspoon cinn
Cold water almost to the top of the magic bullet then blend.

Misc…
My sister told me a week ago that everyone gets diabetes when they get older.  My reaction, *stares blankly, blinks, stares blankly*.  What the....?!  No idea where she comes up with this crazy stuff.  I guess it’s expected and apparently excepted, that we have to just rot away some how as we age.  Well, I was older at 39 than I am now at almost 51.  A diet change and a little exercise made the difference.

Bells I use...
Here’s my bowflex selecttech 552’s right after they came out of the box.  They go from 5 to 52.2 pounds in half pound increments.  Those half pound increments have come in Very handy!

Today’s workout was Jari Love’s extremely get ripped, workout 1.  30 minutes.  It was my first time doing it…it’s not a thriller.  While she keeps saying how much energy we were all going to have when we were finished, I find that most of these workouts that go on forever with all these reps zap my energy more than give me any.  After thinking on it the rest of the day I'll give it a yawn and move on.  It’s back to the weights on Monday after a two day rest period.

Well I finished the four weeks of the burn phase and then started a project outside so I’m taking a break in the program before moving on.

Now if I could just get a couple full days of nice weather without thunderstorms I’d have this path finished up…so close!  Workouts have been sod removal, hauling rock by the bucket full, digging and hauling off dirt, placing stones.  Enough of a workout for now. 

On the food front my brother in law has been bear hunting and got one last weekend.  It’s a small one, just over four feet.  He got a large one last year so he gave us this one!…wow, I’m in heaven!!!   It’s a beautiful blond with very long hair so he’s already on his way to being a rug as of yesterday.  I’m having steaks and burger made from the meat but I also want to try jerky and pemmican.  I’ve never had either from bear before and I could use a new batch of pemmican badly!
 

Wlfdg…Hi Chris.  Thanks, I’ve been tempted to count the number of rock I’ve put down but decided against it lol!  I’m going to dig up more of the yard and put in a creek, fire pit and who knows what next so I’ll use what rock is left over on things like that…one thing always leads to another when I get going   Lot’s of work but worth it to hang out in a rustic environment even if it can’t be in the mountains.


You're right, no fat to speak of on this one.  Brother in law went up with his buddy last night hoping he gets one now.  I put in a request for the fat off it should there be any.  I’m thinking maybe on a larger bear there may be more of a chance this time of year?  Of course they think I’m nuts to want it lol but promised to bag it for me if there is any.  Are you hunting bear this year?

Patti

Ok going to catch up so this may be kind’a long.  I’ve just been doing everything and anything I can do outside, so no actual workout lately inside with bells to speak of, and probably won’t be till the weather turns.  Plenty to still keep me busy awhile although some things are much easier than others…yay to that lol!

Planted seven trees.  I only hit one hole that I didn’t have major problems with rocks!  One hole had to be abandoned all together.  No idea how big that rock was but it wasn’t going to budge!  The last tree hole took me no less than six hours to dig the boulders out of but by damn that’s where I wanted the tree and that’s where it was going to go no matter if I had to dig through the night to do it, grrr lol!

Put in a small creek a couple feet wide give or take depending on different places in it, and 20 foot long.  This involved digging up the sod, hauling it off then digging the creek part out in the shape I wanted.  Thinking I wouldn’t need the dirt, I hauled that off too, only to have to haul it all back…I didn’t think far enough ahead on that one!  Any who…next I hauled in some boulders.  These are never in short supply around here, I have a huge pile out front so luckily I don’t have too far to go for them.  I ordered a pile of river rock to be delivered early in the year so I had that out front too.  That was next, to lay out the river rock.  Then a smaller river rock (that came in bags), then the pea gravel (also in bags).  Oh all that dirt I had to haul back in…I used that to layer the rock.  River rock, dirt, smaller rock, dirt, pea gravel, dirt.  Then I sprayed it all down with the hose and TA-DA, it looks totally natural and like it’s been there all along.  Then I planted some strawberries and other plants on the banks of it.  It’s a dry creek though, no water pumps and such, so unless the plants are being watered or it’s raining there’s no water in it.  My hubby built a bridge for it.

Fire pit.  That was the easiest digging in the whole yard to date so yay, no fight to the finish!  Dug the hole, hauled over a few of the smaller boulder type rocks and then used the creek building method to use up extra river rock to line it.  Kind’a looks like landing for site for a UFO but oh well it works great!  It’s about a foot or so deep.

Outhouse…this was one of my favorite projects because I’ve never built a building type thing and certainly nothing of this size.  It’s actually a tool shed but it’s in my campground area so it had to fit in.  Not having much of a clue as to what I was doing, the frame is probably way overbuilt, it weighs a ton I swear lol!  In fact after I got it framed, I inched it across the yard to finish it off pretty much in place cuz it was getting so heavy.  I swear the exercise part was all tricep use.  Wow, who knew hammering could be such a workout!  Lot’s of toe nailing involved in building the frame which I found to be a total pain, sheesh!  Still I totally enjoyed the whole process.   Wouldn’t ya know though right after I finished it my hubby bought a nail hammer thingy that you just hook up to an air hose and it shoves a nail in wood just like butter…ur a lard!  Oh well, my satisfaction level is higher and my triceps were on fire doing it by hand so it’s all good!  So I just have the front two corners to trim out and also cut a couple of the shake shingles back, plus add a couple shelves inside and that will be done.  I cut the moon in the door but then also painted in the wood behind it so there wouldn’t be a hole in the shed that rain would get into to.  Other than that I built it just like a one hole outhouse.  I am so not a builder…it took me a day just to frame and sheet the floor lol!  It started going a bit faster after that though thankfully.

So lot’s of goofing around putting the campground-ish area together this year.  In all, to include the coble stone paths also, I hauled two yards of river rock most of it by bucket full one after another…it was just too awkward to shovel that sided rock.  Rolled numerous boulders, and hauled around several bags of smaller rock and gravel.  Dug and hauled off lot’s of sod and moved a whole lot-o-dirt…all a good workout for me! 

I found all kinds of interesting things while digging up the yard…a jawbone of some rodent, broken tile and glass, where some one else had dug and burned an old door, nails, a smiley face key chain with the tongue sticking out from the 70’s (pretty sure) …darn, no old bottle with lot’s of cash in it though…yet anyway!

Packed around about 160 cement retaining wall block.  I’m about to do this Again for the third time cuz I just can’t seem to find a place for them that I like.  If this next time doesn’t work out they may be going on craigs list ha! 

That’s pretty much the highlights although I’m always busy with one thing or another.  I’ve burned through three pair of gloves this summer but was able to cut the fingers off two pair so they’ll still be useful awhile yet. 

On the food front the apple tree produced a bunch this year eek, so I need to spend a day in the kitchen with those.  I have lot’s of bear meat left since I’m pretty much the only one that eats it…fine by me!*grin, grin*  Still hoping for bear fat later this year, crossing all fingers for that. 
I can’t remember who it was that came up with the messy omelet I think they called it?  Oh man that is really good!!!  I’ve been using about half an onion in fat then two or three eggs on top.  It’s been my fav meal for the past three days!!!  I just now got around to trying it out and Mmm! 
I lost interest in ever making the cookies I was planning to do but now a carrot puree and lime juice combo has been on mind for pork so I may try that one of these first days. 
I’m still coming to terms with my mother in laws diet…it’s not a meal unless there are At Least 3 items on a plate so that’s been a challenge, as is shopping.  The first time I had to buy sugar free jello in a cup it took me like 30 minutes just to find it!

Ooo I almost forgot crafty stuff!  I found a nice elk skin and made a purse out of part of it.  Well, I say it’s elk cuz it’s heavier than the deer I have and the color is different too but I’m not positive.  Also scored on a couple nice deer racks that I’m using to make bone buttons.  I’m in heaven mess’n around with all this kind of stuff lately!

Five pictures to follow, most taken on my phone so maybe not all that great.     

The fire pit.  Ha we use to have really nice lawn in this whole area till I got a hold of it!  Thankfully I have a very understanding husband!  But it’s going to stay just dirt with “some” grass here and there and not a full lawn like yard. 

Outhouse/shed.  I’m thinking maybe chicken coop next year!