Whooooooooooooooooo-hooooooooooooooooo!  Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwessommmmmmmmmmme! Awesome, awesome, awwwwwwwwwesomme! Everyone in the valley below should have heard me as I coasted down the hill this morning. Whooooo-hoooooo! Once a week for the past four weeks, I have been pedaling up Cienega Road, going further each time. I have yet to make it to the very top, but after today, I know that one day I shall. I managed to pedal about three-quarters up what I thought was the first incline, only to look up and see it was one long continuous incline. When it got too steep, I got off Tilda-Hilda (I think she may be partial to Tildy-Hildy) and walked her up to my first goalpost. Once there, I decided to walk a little further. Why not? I thought, I'm here. When it no longer seemed steep that I would fall trying to engage the pedals, I hopped on the pink cruiser and pedaled up the hill for a couple more yards. But, instead of turning around, I chose to walk Tilda-Hilda a few more yards

I was in my late 20s when I first noticed that there would always be one older couple dancing their hearts out to a band playing in the middle of a mall or a hotel, or at a street fair or a farmers market. The couple would waltz, do the box step, cha-cha-cha, boogie-woogie, or just freestyle to the music. The couple would be so full of joy that others would watch with big grins and smiles on their faces. A few people would even clap in appreciation. And, yes, there would be the few boors who would point at the older couple, laugh and make fun of them. But, then that's what boors do. Well, here's the good news. Turns out the Husband and I have become one of those effervescent older couples. Sam Farr 30-Day Challenge I'm done! Yesterday was the last day. Whoo-hooo! I followed the rules as well as can be. I ate no foods made of flours or had more than 20 grams of sugar per serving. For 29 out of the 30 days, I ate no food nor drank alcohol after 7:30 PM. I wor

Yippeee! One more week to go with the 30-day health challenge. Have I lost weight? I don't know. I decided not to weigh myself when I started because I get very disappointed that I've lost only half-a pound or gained 2 pounds when I think I must've lost a gazillion pounds. Both the Husband and the Mama said I looked smaller today.  This past week I was missing bread. Rice or quinoa with peanut butter, pesto, or brie doesn't quite do it. Next week, I'll be searching for sourdough bread and maybe jalapeño tortillas. Not to worry, I won't go overboard. I decided to do an additional two weeks, but I'll modify the challenge by allowing myself to eat one kind of floured item each day, if I feel like it. My workouts changed this week. One morning, I woke up feeling too tired to bicycle so later that day I walked. I don't like walking because my knees hurt afterwards, which the Husband says is because I don't pick up my knees.  That day I discovered

Finally, after 10 years, I have named the pink cruiser bicycle that I pedal. Say Hello to Tilda-Hilda. Isn't she pretty? She's a bit shy, but very dependable. That Tilda-Hilda. Since December 31 of last year, she has taken me about 558 miles, which is like making three round trips from my hometown to San Francisco. Wowza!   And, in all that time, she has only had one flat tire, which I wrote about over here . That's a pretty good feat since I have a way of not noticing what I run over. I am very proud of Tilda-Hilda. She gets a gold star. I get one too, for pedaling her all that much. Update of the Congressman Sam Farr 30-Day Challenge Yesterday (Monday) began the third week of the challenge. Whoo-hooo! I shall toot my horn and say that I have been strong and skipped the ice cream, sesame balls, Filipino sweet flour balls, and fruit tarts when they were readily available. I'm already thinking about what I want to do when this challenge is over. I heard that

"Wouldn't you like some potato chips with lunch?" I asked the Husband, as we waited for the light to turn green. "Sure." He's such a sweetheart. "Beer would taste good with potato chips. Shall we get some beer, too?" "Absolutely!" I made a left into the supermaket parking lot. "But, can you have chips?" he asked. I was on my second week of the 30-day health-and-fitness challenge. "Yes, as long as they're not made from flour," I answered, easing the car into a parking spot far away from the door. "You can't have beer then," he said. I was momentarily bummed out. And, all this time we'd been driving around town doing errands, I'd been thinking of a gin and tonic. Not that I'm a big cocktail drinker,  But, today, I've been desiring an alcoholic drink. Then, my brain cells kicked in. "Alcohol is okay, as long as it's not past 7:30 PM." "Are you sure? B