I am very sick with a flu or something--nothing like starting the day by leaping out of the shower to vomit. Bleargh.

In good news, the big bushy plant near our driveway is a lilac! We moved here at the end of Fall, so it was past blooming time. I am very excited! No lilacs in California.

I get what you are saying, Sophia. I still think of myself as a tiny person, although not even close! (My family apparently does too since they still give me clothes that are a good 50 pounds off) It is a HUGE thing that you have become healthy. We constantly hear and say it isn't your size that matter so much as your health, and that is what you have fixed. It wasn't at all easy, and continues to be a massive chore, but we like you healthy! Enjoy the newfound energy and don't pay as much attention to that scale or mirror.

Oh Scrappy! I'm sorry about the ooky health. But yay lilacs! We don't get them down here either. They must like the cold winter stuff.

There is one of the public gardens that has lilacs here. But they are always a little sad. But, like Laura, we do have a bunch of fruit trees, though I'd love a coconut right now.

Our quince tree is blooming again. We had two quince last year because of a wind storm during blooming season. We got rain yesterday and some petals came down, so I am hoping for the best.

Also, I love that the fondoodler helps make cheese and cracker houses.

I don't think keto is for everyone, but if you are careful about nutrition and have certain health issues it is helpful

I'm doing it for my chronic Lyme/fibro/CFS nonsense, and it has helped my pain and energy levels immensely. I won't lie, I like the weight loss side-effect, but that's not why I'm doing it.

I've learned that if I decide to indulge in something carb-heavy, it can't be something with a lot of gluten. The last time I had a waffle, I spent three days in massive pain AND brain fog, which just seems unfair.

I've learned that if I decide to indulge in something carb-heavy, it can't be something with a lot of gluten. The last time I had a waffle, I spent three days in massive pain AND brain fog, which just seems unfair.

There's a lot of really good gluten-free substitutes now...BUT it's still a pain to have to do that much food wrangling. It would be so much easier to just eat a frigging regular waffle like everybody else.

I've learned that if I decide to indulge in something carb-heavy, it can't be something with a lot of gluten.

I had dinner last night with some friends where the husband has some strange form of early-onset dementia, and they have him on a strict keto diet to help with the symptoms. It might be helping, apparently.

There was an episode of Science Vs. recently that went deep into the keto diet, and the conclusion was that it wasn't really any better for weight loss than any other diet, but that there does seem to be some brain-function benefit to it. It sounds to me like it would be really hard to maintain, since my regular breakfast is either toast with pb or oatmeal.

Heavy fats really disagree with my system, as does most meat. Honestly, pescatarian is probably the way I should go. And low sugar and alcohol. I'm about to try doing that during the week.

Also, my Dad did a lot of the basically keto low carb stuff and wound up with a kidney stone that nearly killed him (as in, caused a kidney infection that wasn't discovered until he was on the edge of sepsis), so I am leery of it in the same way as I am leery of stimulant meds, which have triggered major depressive episodes in everyone in my family who was prescribed them and as a bonus suck, sent me into legit OCD until I was off them.

Timelies all!

Good news: Mr. S can do a lot of things by himself. Bad news: He insists on doing things himself, to the point of getting upset if we try to help.

Ah, parenthood....