Putting one less-heavy foot in front of the other

We're easing into high summer ... plentiful sunshine,

zero rain (33 days & counting), warm temps and mornings influenced by

an abundant marine layer.

It's splendid being out on the water,

especially when someone else is driving.

The islands are crawling with tourists now but back on our own patch

it's dozing as usual ...

and chores

like watching the beans grow

and the wild blackberries ripen.

I made a little decision back in April - a decision that I didn't want to carry around

any extra weight anymore.  A monumental [gulp, or so it felt] birthday was

looming on the horizon, so I decided to give myself one of the biggest

gifts there is ... a lighter foot-fall. 

No one but me could give this gift.

It was high time. 

My mom struggled with her weight all her life.  We have similar small frames and

neither of us very tall.  She used to say that she imagined her extra weight as

holding 10 pound bags of potatoes ... and then she'd set them down

one by one as she worked towards her goal.

Here's my favorite cheerleader for most any venture.

So I've set down one and a half bags so far ... think I might continue on

till I'm back to my college size.  The  *lightness*  is addicting,

not wanting those spare pounds to have the better of me, a driving force.

'Specially when I need to push wheelbarrows uphill, heft pruners hither & yon

for more hours than I wish to count

and well, we won't even talk about that dang lawn mower ...

In the meantime, the front field is all ready for the Dog Club get-together

and the girlies are being put through their paces ...

good thing I left some of those potatoes behind.