day 11 of 18, with razzleberry dressing

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Even though it's a holiday, I got my butt out walking. Did you?

My brother lives in East Allentown and is on vacay. My sister is house-sitting, and she was coming to my house so I'd needed to pick her up. There is a nice 3-mile loop there that I can walk. All signs pointed to East Allentown today.

One thing I learned today is that the people on this loop love a good (or bad) Nativity set. This photo essay will have lots of Nativities. It's the perfect theme for Christmas day. (The one on the left is from my brothers front yard. I'm almost certain he made it.)

Another thing I learned is that this neighborhood loves inflatables. No matter how big or small their porch or lawn is.

I headed out Hanover Avenue east toward Club Avenue.

I took this picture of the blessed mother, because after all, today is her day. She did all the hard work. I love the look on her face. It's almost a smirk. And the roses in the dirty water. In December. And St. Frances (I think) over her shoulder. (Catholics please correct me if I'm wrong.)

This festive arch was on Hanover Avenue.

On Union Blvd. I found this mural. It has nothing to do with Christmas. In fact, I can't figure out what the theme is at all. It's actually kind-of creepy.

 An inflatable Nativity. With reindeer in front. It actually fit well in the yard.

 Now this one doesn't fit on the porch. There is barely enough room to get in the door.

I had wondered why Irving Park fell off of Bill White's Christmas light tours. It used to be terrific. Now I know. It's just random themed inflatables around the pool, inside a fence. Most were falling over or totally deflated. I choose these Hanukkah ones to mix it up a little. Though the little bear with the dreidel is tilting. He is clearly deflating. There was also a menorah, but it fell over. Still haven't found a Kwanza display.

I bet this house is lit up well at night. They even have stuff in the back yard. (Have I mentioned how I love Christmas lights?) What I love about this one is the mid-century plastic blow molds (I learned that term watching the Holiday Light Fight on ABC), and the modern plastic cut outs on a stick. Notice how the wise men are leaving in one direction and the camels are going in another.

This wireframe (see, you do learn watching television) snowman was also at that house. I'm guessing the wise men were going to visit him next.

The whole time I was out I was looking for a sign that said "Keep Christ in Christmas", or "Jesus is the reason for the season." Do you think I could find one when I wanted one? Nope. Not even on the churches.  This Nativity was at Our Lady Help of Christians on Hanover Avenue. It's ceramic and looks hand painted. It was really low. I should have gotten down on my knees to take the pix, but frankly I wasn't sure if I'd get up again.

 The Christmas tree lot across the street still had a few trees.

Finally, I was back at my brothers. These are his flower boxes. My S-I-L is excellent at decorating. I picked up my sister and headed home.

Mileage, about 3.

Almost forgot. Razzleberry dressing. Last night I watched Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol. The song is now stuck in my head. And it's appropriate for today.

"nome" update

"Nome" is hopping this week. Dallas Seavey mushed into town on Tuesday at 4:04 am. My favorite, Ally Zirkle (above), came in 2 minutes later. Bonnie and I went to bed early so we could get up at two and wait for their arrivals. Only 13 mushers are left on the trail.

Word arrived that Sharon, David and Barb are about 224 miles from the finish line. They should make it by the end of next week. Lydia and Adonis left the day after they arrived.

We've learned a lot this trip. Nome is called Siqnazuaq in the native Iñupiaq language. It was incorporated in 1901. And more about panning for gold than I'd ever care to know.

Bonnie and I have had a lot of time to walk. There are no Volkssport walks in Nome—just in Fairbanks and Anchorage. So we made our own. We have found four schools, and the University of Alaska—Northwest Campus. No Volkssport walk is complete without a college campus. We have walked every square inch of this town. Someday I'd like to come during the summer and take one of the Bering Strait cruises.

reflections .... realizations

I've been blogging since about 2007. My brother had started to blog about boomerangs and the blog was free from RCN. I think it was called the RCN Journal. I signed up (Tall and Fat Tales) and had nothing to write about. It laid dormant until that summer when my international student, her friend, Bonnie, my brother and his wife went tubing on the Delaware. The story was unbelievable. I finally had something to blog about. My first post was "Tubing on Willy Wonka's Chocolate River".  It included stories on graffiti on my garage, and the "do not use or you will die" sign on my 50-year old furnace, and some walking adventures. Normal, mundane stuff. Nothing on a regular basis.

Then high blood pressure happened in October of 2008. One of the family curses. I needed to get serious about exercise and diet. I was 256 pounds. My blood pressure was over 200.


I found quickly that I could not just walk for the sake of walking. I bored easily. Everyone who reads this blog knows that. I needed a goal. I saw one of the sappy commercial for the Koman  Breast Cancer 3-Day in winter of 2009, did a little research, and signed up for the 3-Day. My friend Karen was dying of the disease. It was perfect. Plus she lived in Philly. She'd meet me at the finish and I'd collapse at her place. Sadly she died before that could happen.

Regardless, I was motivated and began training. Part of the online fundraising platform was a blog, and it was a way to keep me accountable. If I missed a day of training, and then blogging, my sister was sure to call. "Didn't you walk yesterday?" she'd ask. After it was over, I printed it all out and stuck it in my photo album because once the 3-Day was over, it would be gone.

At the same time the mundane stuff remained on Tall and Fat Tales.

I liked blogging and finally had something to talk about. Training for the 3-day I lost about 10 pounds and 3 dress sizes. In one summer. Clearly I was all fat. (I wonder what the number is. My BMI is still 44!) I gave up drinking massive amounts of soda and started to eat better.

After the 3-day I moved my walking adventures to Tall and Fat Tales. Then the notice came from RCN. No more blogs. It didn't occur to me to make a copy. All that is gone. Now I have books printed.

When I did the Walk Your Butt Off test program in fall 2011-winter 2012 I weighed in at about 236 pounds. I didn't even notice I had lost another 10 pounds. How is that possible?

Still I was discouraged. I was still FAT. I am still fat. Nothing I did — at least in my head—seemed to take the weight off. I was still wearing the same sizes I wore after that first 3-Day.  I was walking my ass off and doing half marathons, climbing stairs, changing my diet over and over, going to nutritionists and to no avail. That's what motivated me to sign up for the Sugar Crushers test panel.

When I started the Sugar Crushers test panel I weighed in again. This time I was about 226. I don't remember. Numbers aren't my thing. But it looks like I had kept off the WYBO weight loss. This time I lost 8 pounds in a month. But dang it was hard. The restrictions nearly drove me screaming down the street. I can't function like that.

That being said, over the weekend the light bulb went off. In four years I have lost 40 pounds and kept it off. (Sorry, no pixs of me in 2007-08. Clearly avoiding camera. Or maybe deleted them.) I'm not really sure if I can see it. (Though I do remember thinking I looked hot in the black and white. Clearly that was a mirage.) I am going to own and embrace that fact. Forty pounds is not insignificant. Perhaps I am not failing at this after all. I'm just doing it really, really, slowly. I only have 18 more pounds to go before I hit my goal of "onederland". Anything after that, pardon the pun, is gravy.

I will do this. Hopefully it won't take two more years.

merry christmas

It's Christmas day  and like most every other day I walked. Today I delivered bourbon balls to friends in the neighborhood and left them on their stoop. No note. They'll know where they came from. They always do. I was late making them out this year.

I probably only did two miles. I just rambled thru Fountain Hill and the FH side of south Bethlehem.

As I was coming up my hill my brother Dave and his wife Barb were getting out of their car. My timing is perfect for a Christmas visit..

They bought me a hand painted, painters cap from a craft show in Virginia. So I didn't need to wear ball caps all the time. It's wonderful. And beautiful. Other walking gifts included a walking stick from the roommate, and a tote bag that says "lead scoobie" on the front AND a hoodie, from Bonnie. I am so spoiled.

It's funny. I had been using "scoobies" for two years, and in the last six months it's caught on like wild fire. Lets not forget the name of the group is every two feet, remember?

Monday is the Peeps 5K. We'll walk as a group on Friday. Maybe in East Allentown.

The IditaWalk is a month away.