Back to normal … whatever that is

I always feel a bit down after I've been away from home for a few days. The past couple of weeks have included two trips, with only two days at home in between. Now I'm home for a long time – no travel again until August – and it's darned lonely around here!

My daughter's home is a whirlwind of activity and laughter. My grandson is a comedian-in-training who knows when an appreciative audience is at hand, and my granddaughter prefers swimming, throwing, dancing or playing to sitting. Unless the sitting involves the movie Cheaper by the Dozen.

Here at home the activity level is … not so much. I call my morning walk 'intentional exercise' because the rest of my day just isn't that active. We don't clutter much, and the dogs are fairly neat as well. The minimal housekeeping I do is sufficient; it takes less than an hour to dust-mop and dust. No stairs. Huge lawn, so the yardwork does take some time, but not on a daily basis.

I suppose this is one reason many people tend to grow larger as they age. Once the kids grow up and leave, there's less moving going on in general. Fewer shuttling to games or playdates, no pick-up basketball games or backyard soccer practice. Retirement means never having to leave the recliner.

And 'they' blame it on slower metabolism. Hmmmm.

Thanks for the recent comments. Even though I'm a bit subdued today, I'm still happy to have hit that 30-pound milestone. I've bought some more new clothes, some a bit too small [always nice to have an dangling carrot] and some that fit now and can be easily altered to fit later, too.

Just covering the bases.