Getting the Lungs Going Again

I am still battling the stupid cough, which feels like it will never go away. I'm now able to sleep on one pillow, which is a step forward, and I no longer have a permanent crick in my neck, but it would be hard to say that I wake each morning refreshed and ready to meet the day.

On the positive side, Ruby is taking me for a walk two or three times each day. We usually go out for about 45 minutes, which is her maximum. I have been taking her to walk at the local nature reserve parks, Arasteradero or the Bay Lands, but we're currently keeping away from those while Ruby recovers from a wound in her behind caused by a nasty grass seed called a foxtail. So our daily regime of walking is around the streets, to the local neighborhood park, and back again. Ruby is now at her target weight, 20 lbs, so our goal is not to let her get any fatter. Do you think that feeding her bits of my chocolate croissant (not the chocolate part, which is bad for dogs) will have a negative impact on that goal?

I think that feeding myself chocolate croissants may be having a negative impact on my goal... I do try to tell myself that I don't need a little something at 10am, but my insides tell me otherwise. I guess I am trained to eat in the middle of the morning - something I blame on my childhood, naturally, when our family ate every two hours to accommodate the needs of my diabetic brother - and so it's a hard habit to shake. I also eat when I'm bored and sometimes I simply defiantly eat because I know I shouldn't. Maybe I should see a shrink. You'll note that I never get tempted to snack on fruit or veggies. I have a bad relationship with them.

Another positive note: I attended my Scottish Dance class for the first time this year. I did the sign-ins (I'm the class manager) in the first week, but didn't dance; then wasn't able to go last week. This week I stuck with the beginners' class, not because I am a beginner (after six years, I am most definitely not!) but because in these early weeks of the year the class involves a lot more walking than dancing, as the newbies learn the formations. That worked out fine until we did the social dance at the end with the experienced class - Kendall's Hornpipe - and I almost died at the end...cough...cough...cough. Some of my classmates were quite alarmed. "Don't...worry..." I gasped, as I waved them away.

What's for dinner? Oh yes, lovely calorific quiche.