It's July already?!

Wow.

Anyway, Dave cut down the little blue atlas cedar in front of the house.   Neither of us ever really liked it, as it was not as pretty as some, and it was also in questionable health.

In place of it, we have now put in 4 clumps of ornamental grasses.  Hopefully, they will grow up big and tall and fluffy, and will look lovely next to the front steps.

The black eyed susans are doing well, and some of the Indian blanket flower is coming up as well.  My other plantings, which are other versions of blanket flower, are doing okay, too.

The front flower bed is starting to look a little more intentional and a little less weedy!  In early spring, there are daffodils and tulips, and when they die back, the summer prairie plants will fill in.

That's the hope, anyway!

The temps this past week ranged from the upper 90's to 109.  Forecast is calling for "only" the 90's this week, but so far, they've lied.  It was 103 yesterday when it was only supposed to be mid 90's. 

I've started on a more stringent exercise program to see if I can lose this weight I've been complaining about.

I've been working out every day before I even have my coffee.  No, really!  Me, the SO NOT A  MORNING PERSON, getting up way before I have to so that I can exercise.

So far, I have lost 8 ounces according to the scale.

Yeah.

A half a pound. 

Seriously.

But I DO seem to feel a little less "jiggly" when I walk.  Hopefully, the inches will start to show the difference, even if the scale doesn't.

Right now, though, the inches aren't even looking any different.  

As I mentioned a little while ago, it's been extremely aggravating to see so little result from such hard work, which includes making sure I drink at least 40 ounces of water a day, usually more, plus drink green tea, and eat only healthy foods and snacks LITERALLY 99% of the time.

I spend so much time running back and forth to the rest room it's annoying. 

I go to my gyne tomorrow for my annual exam.  She also has a lab right there in her office, which is great.  That means I don't have to drive around and go to a separate place at a different time for my yearly  blood draw.

I'm really curious to see how my cholesterol numbers stack up this year.

I'd dropped 50 points the year before last, and had been stable last year, but those tests were drawn when I was not fasting, because the Doc told me I didn't have to.  A couple of years ago, she said "There's a different way to run the test now, so it doesn't matter if you're not fasting."

Her nurse told me something completely different, though, when she called to discuss the results last year, so...  THIS year, I will go to the test fasting, so the results will be more accurate.

I also guess I will have to get a mammogram this year.  She didn't write one for me last year, so I got a year off.

Anyway, I may ask her about the weight gain/lack of ability to lose it issue.

Because of the weight gain, she may also wish to schedule the hormone testing soon, which will be to determine if I am indeed going through the change.

If I am, that would mean we can take me off of this medication.  I'd like that.  It's $40 a month that I'd really be happy to not have to spend anymore!

I "officially" start my new position at work this week.  Should be interesting.

I sure like the new desk!  It's smaller, with  less storage, but it's located in such a blissfully quiet area that I don't care that there isn't anyplace to put my purse!!

Let's hope that the process of figuring out what our new jobs are goes smoothly!

And, lastly, Dave's older brother has gotten into playing the ukelele.  On a whim, Dave asked him about getting one, and instead, he ordered one and shipped it to Dave.

So, he's been learning how to play it a little, and this has inspired me to take out my guitar for the first time in ages.  I tuned it by ear, and tried playing along with a song on my iPod, just to see if I could still do it.

I could.  Now, to just keep at it!