Status Reports

Running Report
Well, this one is easy. Haven’t done any. In more than two weeks. I really did mean to go yesterday. But Rowen and I had a more exciting walk than I had planned. About one mile into the walk, we passed a house with two labs playing in the backyard (fenced at least). One of them jumped the fence to check us out and then tried to follow us on our walk. I didn’t want to be responsible for the dog and I didn’t want to leave it out in the street to get hit by a car, so I repeatedly ordered it back to its own yard. No good. I tried to lead it back to its yard. No good. Finally a car did come by and spooked the dog back to the yard. Then, about another mile from that, a second dog---this time, it was in the front yard (which turned out to be the neighbor’s yard, not even its own), completely unrestrained and unattended---wanted to play with Rowen. Once again, I didn’t want the dog to follow us and I didn’t want it out in the street, so I tried walking it back to its yard. But every time Rowen and I would walk away, the dog came with us. Finally, the dog’s owner came out and I told him that the dog kept running into the street and needed to be restrained. I probably said it a bit more sharply than I needed to because, at that point, I was exasperated with irresponsible dog owners. This is hardly the first time this has happened. A couple times each month, as I’m walking with Rowen, dogs will leave their yards to join us. Not that I blame them. I don’t think most of them get regular walks. I rarely see another dog being walked when I take Rowen out. Anyway, so the owner of this particular dog-on-the-run disappears back into his house. Now I’m sort of stuck. I don’t want to just leave the dog there---and I don’t think I could have if I wanted to---he just kept following us. But I also don’t want to wrangle a dog that isn’t mine back into his yard. In the meantime, the dog and Rowen are having a party, with me stuck in the middle, because I’ve got Rowen on a leash and I’m not about to let go. Finally, about five minutes later, the guy comes back with a long rope and ineffectively wrangles his own dog. We finally get back on our walk, and when we’re just about to the end, Rowen attempts an Alex Roll in a field of poo. In a true Christmas miracle, she somehow missed getting any poo on herself and still smells like the cookie shampoo that the groomer used on Saturday.

So between that and assembling the afghan---which required much hunching on the floor---I was wiped out.

Detox Report
The detox has become less detox, more diet. I’m still keeping the caffeine out (with the exception of a chai on Saturday while I waited for my car to get a lube job), and I’m mostly avoiding refined sugar (except for a tiny bit in my morning tea). But we had a birthday lunch at a Thai buffet restaurant and our department holiday potluck last week, and I indulged in both (I made corn pudding---a family tradition---for the potluck). And the goodies keep arriving from our vendors at work. Cookies, popcorn, candy, pretzels---and that’s just today’s treats. I’ve been resisting most of the treats and sticking to the pretzels today, but it’s getting harder and harder to be good. And I’ve stretched the definition of healthy, whole foods to the breaking point (taco casserole is healthy, right?). Still, I’m down another 2 lbs, for a total of 5 lbs. Which is probably better for me anyway, because a slow weight loss is more likely to be maintained. Right? I still need to be much better about drinking water and getting raw veggies in me, though.

Christmas Project Report
* Afghan---Finished the fifth panel, assembled the panels, and did the trim on one side. One more side of trim, two sides of fringe, and interior detail work yet to go. Yesterday was slow going because I had to learn some new techniques for joining the panels and stitching the trim and the book’s instructions weren’t well written. But I think I can finish it tonight.
* Scarf 1---Finished except for the fringe.
* Scarf 2---About four inches finished. A long way to go.
* Cross-stitch---No change. I decided that this would be the easiest of the projects to take on the plane with me (knitting needles are too long for the space and tend to poke one’s neighbor as I know from being the one poked on a very long transatlantic flight), so I’m saving it for last.