Aja

So here she is ... all 7 or 8 pounds of her!  The smallest full grown cat we have ever had.  And getting pictures of her has been a challenge.  She can be ellusive.

Aja actually entered our home under the name of Asia.  That is what the shelter had for her name.  But when we got home we noticed on the previous owner's surrender form - her name was Aja!  After about 24 hours we decided to keep her name as Aja.

Aja is our second female cat (out of 11) and our first orange tabby!  She is also our first adult adoption.

She has beautiful markings but you can see here that her
stomach sinks in.  This picture is from day 1.

Our first evening at home with Aja was fairly quiet.  She came out from under the bed to visit the litter box - once.  No food or water, but the box got a visit.  Ok, normal.  But around bedtime my husband and I were both in the bedroom together and I think that made her nervous.  She couldn't watch us both at the same time.  At one point my husband - who is legally blind - stepped on her.  The very first night!!  He was devastated.  She was pissed!!  Hissing and swatting at him as he tried to get on the floor to 'apologize.'  She didn't know what he was doing and that was upsetting her too.  I said to stand and just ignore her.  Give her space to recover herself.  That night she let me pet her.  But it was a troublesome start.

She sleeps during the day ... and under the bed.  Periodically each day I would slip my hand down between the bed and the wall and she would rub against it.  And then she would come out.  On day 2 she began to eat.  That was a great relief to us.

We are now at day 5 she is making strides at trusting us and we are making strides at reading her body language.  She expresses anxiety with rapidly wagging tail, then a hiss, maybe a short growl and finally a paw swipe (nails retracted) ... all in that order.  Once I figured that out, we were golden.  Thankfully the things she is anxious about are reducing.   In fact, that sequence has almost totally gone away - as she has relax somewhat in her new environment.  Poor little girl.  She must have hated the last two weeks in the shelter.

There have been a bunch of fun mini steps in her adjustment.  Like the night when I was sitting in the bedroom rocker.  My husband was asleep, the lights were out and I was reading my Kindle.  She had been rubbing my legs when suddenly she jumped up into my lap.  I think we were both stunned!!  She sat there watching for my reaction and I was doing the same with her.  Her eyes were on me and her tail was waving.  Anxiety!  I gently rubbed her under her chin. She relaxed and the tail settled.  Actually we both relaxed!  Hahaha.  She lasted for about 45 seconds, then jumped down.  Next time it will be longer.


Now she comes out from under the bed (where she still sleeps) at the sound of my voice calling her.  She looks for affection.  She is checking us out for any rules - little does she know - there are no rules!! Ha.

The gate separates our bedroom and bathroom from the rest of
the condo so that our cat has a safe zone when company is
around.  We kept is closed the first 3 days.

The last two days we left it open.
She still chooses to stay in the bedroom.
And just so you know, the gray cat in the picture -
lower left corner, is a wood carving door stop.  :-)

It sure looks interesting
out there.  L-)

She still self-contains herself in the bedroom.  She is familiar with the space now, and food and litter are readily available.  She sometimes sits and looks out the gate at the rest of the condo, but her tail starts to wave and I know she is still unsure.  One time she stepped past the open gate and crept out about 4 steps - stopped - and ran back with belly to the ground.  With time she will be a bit more adventuresome, but for now she is happy to stick in her "safe zone."  But she does continue to look.

But even with the gate open
she isn't sure the time is right!

Today I decided it was time to see if she could tolerate me lifting her.  So I lifted her onto our bed.  It was a fast movement and she did not object.  I picked her up two other times today.  All to the bed.  She did fine.   Later my husband and I were on the bed, he was listening to an audio book and I was talking to her.  She jumped right up on the bed - without an invite.  And she stayed with us a bit.

So all in all ... she is doing great!!  The rate of her adjustment is progressing!  

We got lucky.  I think she is a great cat with a recent bad experience.  And she got lucky to.  We have 50 years of cat ownership under our belt.  We can be patient and understand the language of "cat" very well.

As I fall in love with this little creature, I can't help but remember that she is a heartbreak waiting in the wings of my life at some future date.  I wonder why I do this to myself when their lives are so short compared to ours - and then she rubs up against my legs purring and I remember.  Love from a pet holds no judgement.  Yes, you must earn it, but once earned - you are their 'person' until they take their last breath.

Here's hoping you keep breathing for a long time, dear Aja!  

Our Small Miracle

After 2 weeks without our dear cat, Wallace, we knew we wanted to adopt another cat.  This time an adult. Adults are sometimes hard to place.  It would be our very first adult adoption.  We thought it would be easy - since there are so many wonderful pets needing a home.  Generally you just needed to whisper ... hey, I might want to adopt an animal ... and the array of choices is made available to you.

Not so during a pandemic.  All the rules change.  Not only can you not just walk into a shelter without an appointment, but the selection of animals is much reduced.  Apparently adoptions are way up in this time of self isolation according to the shelter we used.  That bit of knowledge I found concerning.  After all, we aren't always going to be self isolated.  This is a temporary measure.  But pets are not temporary.  What happens after everyone returns to work??

To spread the adoption net as far as I could I let everyone know we were looking - including our vet.  After 3 days of waiting for a nibble on my  'adoption fishing net' I started looking at shelters online myself.

I found a site near us called Small Miracles.  They had four adult cats - all female - between the ages of 2-4.  I sent an email.  No response.  I filled out the online application form and sent it with a second email.  No response.  I called and left a message.  No response.  (Seriously - how serious were they about finding homes if I had to work this hard?) One of my neighbors works there as a volunteer.  I emailed her.  She said she would contact them - and sure enough the shelter emailed me back.  We made an appointment.

It was at Small Miracles where we met Asia.  She is a 4 year old orange tabby - a tiny little beauty.  As we walked toward her cage she was sitting in a haunch position in her litter - a sign that she was not at ease.  When we reached the cage and poked our fingers through - she came to us and began rubbing and purring.  The shelter rep said she seemed friendly, no sign of aggression, does hiss at times but they interpreted as an anxiety response.  From the look of her body language at my first sight of her, I agreed.  When I asked how long she was there - they said 2 weeks.  My heart fell for this pretty girl who was obviously not at ease there and had been release by her previous owner (she was moving) from a home environment to this painful impersonal situation.  At least her owner took her to a "no kill" shelter, but I can't even imagine what Asia was thinking during those two weeks.  Two weeks is a long time when you are miserable.

I should say, I am terrible at shelter visits.  I am motivated to adopt everything in sight. My heart goes out to any animal that is forced to stay there more than a few days. I hate the look and feel of animal shelters. They are noisy, not terribly clean and personal interaction with the animals seems limited to meeting just physical needs as opposed to emotional ones.  And that is the situation for all the animals that shelters deem as 'adoptable.'  You usually don't see the ones who aren't adoptable.  I get it ... I really do ... no time to give full attention to any one little being.  Just a sad environment all around for me.

Asia came home with us that very day.

The shelter staff said she hissed at them when she was put in our carrier.  Pretty sure it was anxiety, they said.

The trip home was pretty quiet.  She tried pushing against the carrier, but mostly just sat still looking all around.  When we got home, we took her right into our bedroom and bathroom combination - her home until she was relaxed enough to explore the rest of the condo.

Upon being released, she did a fast scan of the two rooms (looking for monsters I am sure 😟,) took note of the litter box and the water, and then slipped under the bed.

Next up ... pictures and her first 24 hours.

P - Pets

You know ... when I did the letter G earlier in the month - I featured my grand child.  If you missed that post - click here.  And if you didn't miss that post, click here, anyway. My grand daughter is just that cute.

No really - I'll wait ...

And ... because I know you didn't go back -

The picture doesn't do her justice!
She is a seriously cute kid!

P is for Pets

Why did I begin my P post with a picture of my grand child

 (other than the fact she was worth a second look?)

My very first 'grandchildren' had 4 legs!  Pets are 'family' to me. I know that point of view is not universal to everyone!  But if you have pets you probably understand that it is the only way on earth to get complete and total unconditional love - without judgement or expectations or anything else that gets in the way of human interactions.

For the elder citizen, that unconditional shared love is important to emotional and psychological health.

Just the presence of a dog or a cat in an assisted living or nursing home raises the quality of life for the residents.  In my mom's assisted living home - they had a resident dog.  Some of the homes had birds and one resident was allowed to bring her cat with her.   On my initial tour of the facility, I knew the moment I saw how pets were integrated into the daily life, this place cared about more than just the physical well being of their residents. They were interested in the whole person.

So ... here are my very first grand children.

Meathead

Meathead "Meaty" is gone now.  He was my son's first dog - and English Bull Dog.
He lived until almost 12 - which is a long time for the breed.
He was adored ... and he knew it!  He was well behaved and dignified in his later years.
We called him 'The King' and he lived up to that title.  He is most certainly missed.

Grimace

Grimace was a Pug, my son's second dog, and he is also gone now.
Grimace and Meathead were buds!  Grimace was a rescue.
Over the years he became a bit confused about who his owner was.
He LOVED his grandma so much that towards the end of his life
he believed he belonged to me and was just visiting my son.
We were soul mates - that dog and I - and I miss him so very much.

Milo

Milo is a French Bulldog and he belongs to my daughter.  He is now the senior
member of the collective family dogs and considers himself
now to be 'The King.'  (Frenchies actually think they are born King.)
Milo is now in his senior years.  His grandma loves him so dearly.
We share some of the same medical conditions and are about the same relative age!
And that age would be 'old.'
Live long, dear Milo!

Olivia

Olivia (Livvy for short) is another rescue and is a mixed breed dog - Mountain Dog and  Hound.
She had a rocky start in life, but she hit the jackpot in finding her 'forever' home when my son and
daughter-in-law adopted her.  She is sweet, mild mannered and smart as a whip!
Her vocabulary is amazing.  She is devoted beyond measure to my
daughter-in-law who found her at the pound.  Grandma calls her "girl friend" cause she
is just that special.
Live long - dear Olivia

Ragnar

Yep!  Another English Bull Dog.  What to say about Ragnar (Rags).  Firstly,
this picture is young Rags.  He is all grown now, but I love this picture.  He, like all bulldogs, thinks he is King.
He is fun, overly energetic, overly athletic, exceedingly crazed, ADHD kind of 'guy.'
But he is loved loved loved for all his qualities - and he loves you back
with big enthusiasitc sloppy kisses - which grandma isn't a big fan of -
but she knows his heart is in a good place.
This dog is smart as a whip too, and probably has a great vocabulary -
but in typical bull dog fashion, he hears what you say and needs time to "think about it"
before getting back to you on your 'request.'  Ha!
Live long - dear Rags, but please, just slow down a little. Ha!  

Just so you don't think that my kids have ALL the pets, here is a picture of my two boys - right, cats!  Since my grand dogs visit often and I walk them in the neighborhood, neighbors were surprise to discover I had cats ... not dogs!!

Max and Wally

Yes, they are brothers!
Max (left) and Wally (Right)
Max died 2 years ago from life long kidney disease - a condition we treated
with every other day with subcutaneous fluids - for 9 long years.
He was kind of a miracle kitty because of his long life span with that disease.
Wally is still with us.  He is going on 12 years old and still going strong.
Did he miss his brother when he died?
Not one little bit - in fact - Wally blossomed as an only cat.
More outgoing, friendly, loving and inquisitive.
Guess he was glad to finally step out of his brother's shadow!
Live long ... dear Wally!  

Life without pets would be

 a poor quality of life for me at any age!

A small life so dearly loved ...

Today we thought this dear little soul was going to pass from our lives.  He didn't.  We know his time is very near.  But today is not the day.

This beautiful face belongs to our cat, Max.  He is 11 years old and for 8 of those years he has lived with degenerative kidney disease.  Obviously being diagnosed at age 3 with this condition is not a good thing.  We sincerely thought he would only have a few years left.  We never thought he will live another 8 years.

During that time we fed him special prescription food and treated him with subq fluids every other day.  And every year we got his blood checked and he was always abnormal but stable.  In fact, during these 8 years the vets ALWAYS remarked on how well he was doing.  Typically degenerative kidney disease in a cat progresses a very fast toward the end of life.

About a month ago he started to lose weight.  A vet visit revealed that his previously stable lab values were starting to fall.  It was a warning alarm for us.  His unusual robust appetite began to fail.  Normally he would eat anything all the time.  Now he eats  infrequently and only small amounts.

Two days ago we noticed a total disinterest in eating.  He had gotten more thin.  We thought we had reached the time that all loving and responsible owners reach at some point - help your loved pet out of life peacefully.  We made the appointment for this morning.

Late last night he decided to eat a little.  And he was out and about this morning looking for more.  He did not seem in pain.  We cancelled the appointment.  I guess he still has a handful of kidney cells that are working.

Tomorrow we may face this same decision, or maybe next week - but today he is sleeping peacefully in my chair and I'll take every single minute we have left.

Today is not the day.

My Boys

Here is a picture of my boys, the cats that share our house with my husband and I.

As you can see, they are brothers.  In fact, in the dark sometimes it is hard to tell them apart.  Wally is in the front, and he is pretty much my cat.  Max is behind and he has bonded with my husband.  Max is also the cat who has had degenerative kidney disease (since the age of 3) and we have been giving him subq fluids to combat that condition for 6 years - every other day - and will continue to do so for the rest of his life.  It is what keeps him alive.  

What is remarkable about this picture is the following:

• They are both sitting on the couch with me.  They seldom do that - mostly because our house is usually occupied with 1 to 3 dogs.  When the guest dogs are in residence, our cat-boys pretty much stick to the upstairs.  They do make occasional appearances on the first floor, but never so relaxed.
• They are sitting side-by-side - almost touching.  When we got this pair, we were looking for a bonded pair.  Our last set of cats had decided to dislike each other and it was an armed camp for several years.  Once burned, we did not want to live like that again.  We wanted the next set of cats to already get along.  We figured brothers who were already friends would work.  And it does, usually.  They play together, they don't fight with each other, but they don't sleep together or groom each other as truly bonded animals sometimes do.  No matter, sometime they "accidentally" find themselves sitting together ... making it worth the picture!!

I love these two gentle souls.  They are pretty adaptable having lived around dogs all their lives.  

It is nice spending time with them alone - without the competition of the 3 grand dogs who think they own the place!!  It is because of my desire to honor their rights to our bed and our bedroom, that when the dogs come to visit, I do not sleep in my bed.  I sleep on the pull out couch or in the guest room in the basement with the canines.   

Sometimes I miss my bed, but for these sweet feline faces, I am happy to sleep elsewhere so they can rest comfortably on the second floor when the canine invasion is raging!! 

After all, these boys are mine and this is their home, and the grand dogs are visitors and are borrowed! 

Favorites of 2010

I know.

This is not an original idea or post. But I like the idea of remembering what is special from the previous year!

So before the month of January 2011 totally slips away, here is my list of "2010 Special Favorites". They are in no particular order. Believe me, narrowing it down to 10 was hard.

So here goes.

1. My kids - Everyone says their kids are special. But this year my kids did more for me than just be "my kids". Previous posts tell the story. It is sufficient to say that they demonstrated in small, quiet ways what wonderful adults they have become.

2. My coat - Ok, so I agree this sounds strange. But my dog-walking coat was my friend so many times in December. To state the obvious, it is a warm coat even if it makes you look 15 pounds heavier. This coat goes all the way down to my ankles and when the collar is pulled up, it covers me to above my ears so a hat is seldom necessary. And at the hospital, this coat served as my blanket many many times, and at other times it was a wonderful pillow. I was never too hot or too cold. It is the best coat I have ever had - and last month - it was my best friend.

And when I am not wearing my coat, Wally is wearing it. No joke. The coat has a rustling sound when it is moved and I always hear it slipping to the floor.

3. My mom - I have learned alot about myself through taking care of mom. Last year the lessons learned unveiled many of my short comings.

• I am not the patient person I always thought I was. I am learning patience.
• I am not as understanding about the complexities and frustrations of aging as I thought. I am peeking inside the aging process. It is pretty scary in there.
• I am not as generous or kind a person I think I am. True generosity and kindness is expressed when you respond to a need without being asked and when there is no expectation of recognition. Learning, learning, learning.

4. Big snow storms - My God! I love a big, big snow storm. And in 2010 we counted our snow in"feet". It was very big!

5. My blog - Who would have thought writing to yourself could be so rewarding!!

6. Tuesday knitting group - My Happy Pill. Boy, if I could stick my knitting group into a bottle and sell it, the world would be a better place (and I'd be rich) ... or maybe we would all just warmer in hand-knit stuff.

7. Tai Chi - I returned to Tai Chi last Wednesday after missing 6 weeks - my legs were very unhappy! The rest of me was thrilled!

8. Time with cousins and my sister - Simply stated ... I don't get enough.

9. My four-legged family members - Max, Wally, Meathead, Grimace and Milo. It's a real zoo here sometimes!

This is Max. He isn't allowed on the kitchen table. He is on the kitchen table.

And, in typical cat fashion, he seems to be saying, "No, I am not on the kitchen table and, no, I am not checking out your purse for cookies - and there are no cookies in there, just in case you were wondering.

10. My good health! This year I did little to improve or even maintain my good health. At the risk of making my daughter totally nuts - I will share.

• I didn't do the walking I wanted to do.
• I didn't always eat right.
• I sometimes missed taking my pills (this week I went back on my blood pressure medicine when I causally discovered that my pressure WASN'T normal on its own *sigh*. I bet the same can be said of my cholesterol medicine).
• In December borrowed aggressively against my good health with lack of sleep and worry.

And I am still relatively healthy. But not stupid. I am back to focusing on me (when I'm not focused on mom.)

So that is my list. Do you have a list?

Today's walk: 4458 steps, 1.8 miles, 36 minutes

This and That

Hi again! I know ... it has been a week since I posted. But things have been happening. This week has been an improvement over previous weeks.

First and foremost, my grand dog babies .... Meathead, my English Bull Dog grandson, is doing much better. He finally adjusted to the Phenobarbital. This has been a great relief to me. I have been very concerned about how this drug had affected his coordination, balance, and, most importantly, his personality. All issues seem to have resolved over the course of this week. We have also reduced his extremely high level of Potassium Bromide. Now we wait to see how all this plays out with the frequency of his seizures. So far no seizures. Welcome back to the world, my dear Meaty.

Milo completed his second week of training. He is such a smart little dog, and he has picked up the initial commands quickly. The "leave it" command has worked pretty well to control his obsession of chewing sticks outside and his jealousy reaction with Meathead. It is early still, but Meaty's improved mental state and Milo's training seems to be making life a bit calmer here.

Milo will share more about his training experiences in the blog he shares with Meaty and Grimace. It can be found at http://granddogdiaries.blospot.com.

Secondly, I have managed some balance with other stuff important to me.

I seem to be getting back to my walking routine (again!). I missed many weeks, but this week I have been taking a 30 minute walk. Thirty minutes is quite a bit less than I was doing in September, but it is more than I was doing in November. Since I lost walking endurance, I need to build back up again. Thirty minutes is enough for now.

Although it is still Fall, this picture of trees near my house definitely says Winter.

Sadly, I am down to exactly one group Tai Chi session and one knitting group session a week. But as my energies get pulled into other areas, some things have to shrink so that there is room. Shrink, yes. Disappear, no.

I was able to get out for lunch with a friend this week (thank you Happy One, it was a great lunch - we need to do that again sometime.) Having lunch with a friend is good for the soul. Friendships need cultivating.

I did set some of my knitting and weaving projects aside this month so that I can complete Milo's sweater. That project is nearing completion.

I've been absent from blogging. Not a long absence, but not where I want to be. I really want to blog 3 or 4 times a week. Daily was fun when I first stated, but in my unpredictable life, 3 to 4 times a week is do-able. Of course, this week was once. Today.

I am still reading, but I am not reporting on every book I read - only the one I think are worth recommending.

I can't seem to keep up with the house work - but I am learning to live with that. (Ok, it still does bother me, but I am working on it.) I am, however, focusing on decluttering. Every time a charity calls looking for a donation of household items - I say "yes" even if I don't have anything to donate. It gives me the incentive to sort through stuff and give it away. Slowly, very slowly, spaces in the house should start to open up. Less really is more. A trite saying but no less true.

Finding balance is probably the biggest lesson I am learning this year. Balance ... a hard lesson for a Type A personality like me to learn. Lots of false starts in the last few months, and I am sure I will have more. And learning to say "no" to things that eat up time that I don't have is something I am practicing.

So although I am "blog quiet" at times, I am not off track - just sorting, sorting, sorting all the elements of my life .... and sorting some more.

I am very thankful that I am learning to put perspective on my life.

A month to give thanks!

November!

Now begins the season of holidays: Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years! Over the years I have tried to simplify this season. But it would be a shame to lose the specialness of each event between now and January 1, 2011.

When I think of November, I think of all the things I am grateful to have in my life. I am new to blogging, but I have seen several blogs doing something along these lines this year - remembering to be thankful for what you have. I guess I am not original! But I am glad that people take the time to do this. We are all so rich in our blessings.

November 1st - I am thankful for these 3 happy tails. They are waiting at the door for me to return from the grocery store. They love me without reservation! I think that is a dog-thing!! :-) Recently Meathead has been much on our minds. As an epileptic for many years, he has been medicated to control the frequency of the seizures. But the condition continues to grow in frequency, so last week he was started on a new medication that makes him disoriented and clumsy. The vet says it may a take a month for the symptoms to subside. It is hard to watch the seizures, and it is hard to watch his reaction to the new meds. He is such a dear boy. But hopefully this will make a difference after he adjusts. I love these 3 little guys very much. I am so thankful my children shares these wonderful companions with me.

And I am thankful for my two cats - Max and Wally. This picture shows them as kittens in 2006. Getting them in the same picture now is hard. They still get along and play well together. And above all, they get along very well with the dogs - well, they get along very well with Meaty and Grimace. Once Milo gets older and shows some self-control, I am sure peace will abound. But these two little guys are very special to me and my husband. After 42 years of having cats as a part of our lives, we absolutely couldn't do without them. I have already made my whole family promise that someone MUST adopt any pets we have once we are gone. And, of course, Max has special needs, just like Meathead. Max has degenerative kidney disease and we inject fluids under his skin every other day - to help keep him healthy for as long as possible. His prognosis is a shortened lifespan, but we are grateful for every day we have that charming cat with us.

Walking vs sitting and the Road Trip

Another missed walk. I missed my Tai Chi practice this morning. The day was beautiful, sunny, cool, perfect for Tai Chi in the park and a long walk. But my body vetoed both since I slept until 8:30 am - unusual. I guess this was to be expected. I haven't slept well for several days this week. And there was no time left after getting mom breakfast to fit either in as other tasks were waiting.

On my 45 minute trip into the city to get Milo I had some time to ponder the question of sitting vs walking. It occurred to me - I sit alot. I sit in the car - driving dogs to their destinations, driving mom or my husband to the store or the doctors or the pharmacy or church, and sometimes driving myself to fun stuff. I sit for my hobbies: knitting, spinning, reading, movies, blogging, iPad games, TV - every single activity I sit. So getting steps into my day is tough. Missing my walk - the step count is embarrassing.

Now that I wear a pedometer all day, I can see how sedentary I am at times. The pedometer used correctly is an objective measure of how much movement I do each day. You can't really cheat the pedometer, unless you take it off and shake it, but then you are really just cheating yourself!

I looked at the step equivalents for various activities on About.com. They had a huge list of activities and the step equivalents. You know, activities like swimming, biking, dancing, kick boxing, Tai Chi, and such. These activities raise your heart rate, count as exercise, but do not accurately reflect on a pedometer. One activity listed was sitting. Yes, I said "sitting". For every minute you sit, you can count 30 steps. uhh ... Really?? Can you look in the mirror at yourself and honestly say that 30 steps worth of effort was expended by sitting for a minute??

The car trip to Milo's house was uneventful.

Here is a picture of the sweet little guy who waiting for me to open his crate at my daughter's house - I am sure he was thinking ... "uh ... Grandma, what is wrong with this picture - I am in the crate, you aren't, and I shouldn't be here either now, grandma. Let's get the door open please." And then I did after about 3 pictures - you know I had to get settings and focus and lighting just right ;-)

Anyway, I let him ride on the front seat on the way home - he has grown and matured and is not such a crazy boy anymore. Here is photographic evidence of that. (And no, I wasn't driving when I took this picture ... well, not much.)

And the traffic was busy on the interstate, but moving at least (I had to wrestle the camera away from Milo - he loves to take pictures.)

And as we were driving down a street in our neighborhood and onto our home street, he was just snapping pictures left and right! He is such a photo-bug!

"Finally at Grandma's. It was a photo-fun trip." said Milo

After lunch, I went to get Meaty and Grimmy. They will be spending the weekend with me while their papa goes to his campsite in southern Maryland. And after dinner, Milo's mama will be coming to spend the night. A full day of family and pets - some days you can't squeeze in a walk no matter what your plans. But sitting? ... Sitting always find a way to be part of my day.

Need to find a creative way to change that balance!

As of 2:45 pm - step count is 3274! Pathetic!

As of 8:10 pm - step count is 5545! Still pathetic!

And the "sitting step count"? - well I put 115 miles on my car today. The traffic was terrible and slow so I probably average about 40 miles per hour. That is about 3 hours of driving or 180 minutes sitting ... times 30 steps per minute = 5400 steps for just sitting in the car.

Nope, I still can't do it.