Happy Birthday To Me!

Dark-Throated Shooting Stars pop up on our property every April!

Hooray for another trip around the sun!
Lest we forget, not everyone is this lucky, so I offer much gratitude to Ullr, the God of Skiing, the spirits of nature, plus whatever powers-that-be have been protecting us from the mysteries of our home’s electrical system.
The wildflowers are exploding this year, due to so much rain. I'm also happy to say that I've upgraded to Leanne 4.0. I’ve lost 40 pounds, which was one of the highlights of the year, primarily thanks to Wayne, whose idea it was to join Weight Watchers together—he lost 46 pounds.
So here's the thing with WW: I did not arrive by my own volition—I had to be talked into it. When Wayne brought it up, my eyes glazed over in much the same manner I see when I mention it to other people. I imagined having to sign up for an endless supply of processed, prepared meals which would arrive on our doorstep weekly, in which only an act of Congress would suffice to make them stop.
But no!
During our first meeting, I realized that I could do this “program” on my own terms. Without launching into another long-winded Weight Watchers discourse, my terms were simple: I would never, ever give up beer. Since the whole WW strategy is to make their program your program by doing fairly simple math, exercising and following recipes, I have been able to lose 40 pounds while still having a couple of beers per week, without starving or going insane.

We rewarded ourselves with a trip to Mt. Hood, Oregon, where we stayed at the Timberline Lodge for a few nights. Famous for its exterior being filmed in The Shining, it also has some of the best skiing anywhere. As a skiaholic, I’m always scheming for a way to squeeze in skiing as an adjunct to travel. Case in point, this was actually a side-trip on our way to Seattle. Since Wayne doesn’t ski (yet), we figured this place would have enough mystique for him to wander around the mind-blowing timber lodge with its massive, 3-story stone fireplace, outdoor heated pool, hot tub, and really great wi-fi while I skied myself to the very brink of Elysium.
It did not disappoint.
You can basically ski right out the front door and get on a lift.
I skied my brains out while Wayne explored the lodge.
The trail on the left, which is over two miles, was so long that I had to stop and just holler for a few seconds in ecstasy. Luckily it was a weekday and I was the only one around.
So there you have it. One year older and I actually feel about 10 years younger.

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