Tuesday, June 30, 2020

203.9!

Monday began with my regular dog walk with Di and Regina, then Her Highness and I came home. I wanted more. So, I packed up my backpack with treats and water for Sheba and we walked south and across the island to Eoin’s and François’ place where I was hoping to get a glass of water. But they weren’t home.
So, we turned around and returned and it proved to be too much for my poor beloved puppy. Her feet were hurting by the time we were half-way home, so we slowed our pace and she picked up as she realized we were close to the car. 
When we got home, she went straight to bed, and I got into the spa before the both of us settled in for a soft night at home in front of the television.
Today I was expecting to meet Steve’s three kids as they drove up-island on the big island, on their way to Tofino. But that plan has been cancelled due to a cancelled flight. Instead, I expect to dive deeper into the fabulous, Olive Kitteridge. And, because Sheba’s feet are still tender today, we’ll be sticking close to home today and I’ll be giving her lots of treats.
Praise Jesus Department: I weighed myself this morning because I changed my eating habits two weeks ago today, and I weighed two hundred and three point nine pounds, down from two hundred and twelve point five pounds two weeks ago. That’s pretty good, eh?! That’s a loss of eight point six pounds in two weeks. I’m chuffed.
I’ll putz around the house and garden today, and read whilst Sheba heals.
















Monday, June 29, 2020

A Day for Adventure

All Steve’s actions, described in yesterday’s post, made me feel invisible. I can’t get over that he asked me nothing about my pets, my house, life on the island or my health—and he would not respond to anything of substance that I managed to say.
He mentioned wanting to kill Deer. And on Saturday night, we decided to get pizza from the local pizzeria and he asked if we could stop at the grocery store because he always eats a lot after a long run. We stopped at the store and I waited in the car. I thought  he’d get something we could share, but instead, he bought two packages of potato chips, a muffin, a brioche and a chocolate bar—all for himself and he ate them all.
Okay … enough!
This morning, I went on the small community dog walk with just four other people, all of whom I like very much. It was like a balm to my soul to be with kind, considerate people again.
And for the rest of the day, I plan to take a long, long trail walk with her highness with a backpack on my back with water and snacks for us both. I want to meander the day away because all my domestic chores are done and all the gardens are watered. Plus, today is predicted to reach twenty-eight degrees.
















Sunday, June 28, 2020

Word of the Day: Heinous

The visit from Hell is over.
In two days, he never asked me one thing about my life. On the few occasions when I did say something, I got no response, or he interrupted me. He talks all the time about running and even when he’s alone. 
At four am this morning, I awoke and saw a light was on, so I came into the main part of the house to turn it off. (I’d gone to bed Saturday night leaving him watching TV.) He was up and sitting at my desk smoking Marijuana!
He doesn’t smoke much Marijuana, he says, he was constantly smoking it so I said, “It seems to me that you, in fact smoke a lot of dope.” But he said he smokes a gram a week, but that it was so beautiful here he did his whole gram for next week here.
When we went for a drive, he asked nothing about the sites or our island. He kept talking about running. If I tried to read, he kept talking about running. Neither did he ask about my deteriorating speech, he just kept talking about running.
I had no idea what he was like. I’d only spent a few hours at a time with him before, and never alone. It was a heinous weekend for me; an excellent one for him. He wants to come back; I had a nasty seizure this morning.
He didn’t come on the dog walk with me this morning. He went running. He wanted us to listen to music he liked; watch videos that he liked. Nothing he said, or wanted to see or hear, interested me at all.
I suspect he has a personality disorder of some kind. Perhaps he is what a narcissist is or he’s a kind of narcissist. He has no idea at all of the effect he was having on me.
But he left at two-thirty.
Since then, I have been blissfully alone. Now, a spa is in order. Then, reading some of Olive Kitteridge. I am just in the first story and I am absolutely smitten with Elizabeth Strout’s writing. I’ll get more of her books.
After that … a nice dinner followed by Grantchester and Beecham House on PBS.
















Saturday, June 27, 2020

Steve's Big Day Here

Friday dawned with a clear bright sky, but it got get increasingly cloudy but stayed warm and delightful all afternoon and evening. Today may be like yesterday, but come tomorrow, we’re supposed to start a spell of sunny and hot weather (27°).
I’ve went on the dog walk yesterday morning and watered all the gardens I hadn’t watered on Thursday, and then I went shopping for supplies for Steve’s visit.
I met him at the terminal in the early afternoon and brought him home to see the place and meet the pets. Then we took Sheba to Whalebone beach at low tide before coming home for dinner and then watching Pan’s Labyrinth
I don’t know Steve very well. He’s a beloved friend’s ex-partner, and we’re not at all alike in any way. It’s a not entirely comfortable visit, but he got up early and is off trail running and I am glad of that. We’ll reunite for the afternoon and tomorrow he leaves at noon.
I'm glad we've great weather today, so that he can explore the island and I can have some time alone. I made us dinner last night, but tonight I reckon we'll get a pizza to share to make things easy and we'll watch another movie.
It’s rather amazing to me that I’ve not had any baking or sweets for eleven days. Yesterday, I treated myself to just about three grams of chocolate. I’m staying very active whilst the climate allows, and having no problems at all restricting my intake and adhering to the no-sweets rule.
Next week on, The National is showing Les Blancs. The preview makes it look very appealing; it looks like a stylish and very dramatic story about race relations. It got stunning reviews.