Dribs and drabs

I realized late yesterday that my knee has hit a new level of healing. It's definitely getting better, and I can even walk "almost normal" most of the time with no detectable "hitch in my giddyup"! I'm quite delighted about this. I went to the gym and biked slowly for all of 6 1/2 minutes with no resistance. I was prepared to go further, but then it started hurting just a bit and I stopped right away. This is huge progress for bullheaded moi! I didn't decide to push through the pain. Been there, done that, lived to regret it. It feels a little ridiculous to go to the gym and just do 6.5 minutes, but that is entirely my ego wanting to "look good". For who the hell do I want to look good at the gym? I was literally the only person in the room where the bike I used was! Then as I walked out past the receptionist area, I thought the gal would wonder why I was there for such a short time. WTF?? Am I kidding? She has nothing more interesting to ponder in her life than my time duration at the gym. Just laughing out loud at myself here.

With Tom gone all week, the walking of the 90 pound beast is all on me, which can be a challenge as he can tend to lunge and pull. But he's almost 11, and his lungeing and pulling days are on the wane for sure. This morning I took him further than I was able to 2 weeks ago when I was that less healed, and it felt fine. I had no need to come in and ice. Today I have my last acupuncture treatment, which always loosens the joint and decreases swelling. I know there are folks (my doc for one) who are quick to poopoo acupuncture and claim the perceived benefit is largely a placebo effect. If it is, so be it. It genuinely helps me. And most insurance will now reimburse for acupuncture for certain causes - like neck and back injuries from motor vehicle accidents. I can assure you they are not paying for my knees (insert frowny face) but it's reasonable enough that I'm willing to use my FSA funds for it.

 Yesterday I made mashed cauliflower for the first time. There are oodles of recipes online for it, so used a bit of several recipes. You can see I didn't mash it to the texture of real mashed potatoes  mainly because I didn't want to get my food processor out. I used a hand masher that isn't all that good. I added some non-fat plain Greek style yogurt, one triange of LC cheese (garlic-herb variety), a touch of sea salt and pepper. It was great. I made it while my husband was out (before I took him to the airport), and when he came in the house, he noted the "broccoli or cauliflower or SOMETHING" aroma. Get over it dude - the house is all mine in a few short hours. It tasted yummy to me. I couldn't help think that a big dollop of butter would have added a certain something (fat, calories), but it was fine as is. With the cauliflower I had a serving of homemade ratatouille with some chicken breast added for extra protein. This time I added a can of garbanzo beans (drained and dried) to the ratatouille, also to boost the protein. It was fantastic. I made this about every 2 weeks - a huge pot that we eat from for several days. The only fat is a very small amount of olive oil at the start to saute the peppers and onions. This round, it contains eggplant and zucchini and canned tomatoes. I tend to add whatever is on hand.

I just read Helen's post and loved it, because she talked about wondering if the attendees of Fitbloggin' formed a club that the rest of us aren't allowed in. I could so identify with that - not so much about Fitbloggin', but just in general with blogging. So here is a confession - can't believe I'm saying this OUT LOUD - I always notice how many followers people have and how some people seem to acquire new ones daily, where my "count" has been ever so slow. Ego cuts me at every turn! Sometimes I feel like being a follower whore. I constantly remind myself that I'm doing this for myself. If anyone else reads my blog and likes it - that's gravy. I"m grateful for every single person who reads my blog, even if they only read it once and move on. I love writing and have long yearned to write something others read - like a column in a small town newspaper. Blogging has really satisfied that desire in me - it allows me the opportunity to write, play with words, read others' amazing words and ways of writing things, and in general pursue my passion for the written word and for connection with other human beings. I've remarked here before that on my Facebook profile, one of my interests is "getting to know you". I love when people dare to be just a little bit real about who they are - including the baser stuff. It's real, and gives me permission to be real too. Fewer secrets about myself is a very good thing. So - have a good day everyone - from your follower whore Leslie.