tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-207725082024-03-14T00:46:41.336-04:00The Shrinking KnitterReclaiming the fit, healthy body I once had. With a little knitting on the side.Debbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17727115174070254910noreply@blogger.comBlogger688125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20772508.post-41464174628001713372011-10-05T15:20:00.000-04:002011-10-05T15:22:16.076-04:00More than a year later ...people are still finding this blog. I'm so pleased to still have readers here, but if you're not looking for the Wee Santa Hat knitting pattern, you're probably going to be disappointed.
I'm still writing, still knitting and still working on fitness at a new location. Stop by any time.
Also, I just realized that when I changed my e-mail address the last time, I forgot to change it here for Debbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17727115174070254910noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20772508.post-64992481608658985742010-08-27T06:51:00.000-04:002010-08-27T06:51:54.431-04:00Welcome ...I've noticed several readers popping over from a link on the USPharmD website. I've moved (I bet you figured that out, since this blog hasn't been updated in two years). E-mail me at shrinkingknitter AT gmail DOT com if you'd like the new URL.Debbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17727115174070254910noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20772508.post-44942873944081315162008-05-15T06:28:00.002-04:002008-05-15T06:51:32.628-04:00One last thing …If you left a comment here yesterday but haven't heard from me by e-mail, please contact me at shrinkingknitter AT citynet DOT net [you know the drill]. Thanks!Debbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17727115174070254910noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20772508.post-37498543087538167372008-05-14T08:28:00.000-04:002008-05-14T08:28:01.221-04:00I only live hereI wasn't born in West Virginia, although my father was. That make me half a Mountaineer. After last night's presidential primary, I'd just as soon not admit it.My husband is a born-and-bred West Virginian, but believe me we are not your typical mountain mama and redneck hillbilly. More of them made it to the polls than we'd hoped.Mr. Shrinking Knitter and I worked hard for Barack Obama in West Debbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17727115174070254910noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20772508.post-83907812948203184452008-02-29T07:29:00.000-05:002008-02-29T07:29:02.121-05:00Friday Quote Day Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do. ~ Johann von Goeth I'm sure I've said this before, but … DUH!But then that's how most quotes affect me. I read something pithy and wise said by someone [usually] famous and go, "Wow! I coulda had a V-8!" Or the equivalent thereof.Today's quote works for sooo many situations, including: Food choices To snack or not Debbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17727115174070254910noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20772508.post-79752182364871383482008-02-28T20:04:00.000-05:002008-02-28T20:03:37.911-05:00To blog or not to blogLate in a week during which this post was linked to from both DietGirl and Elastic Waist – heady company, indeed – I find myself with very little time to write anything for newcomers to read.Mr. Shrinking Knitter and I spent much of the past couple of weeks with his mother [who was finally released from the hospital yesterday], and I will be taking yet another blog break beginning Sunday, one I'mDebbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17727115174070254910noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20772508.post-50538965155569887332008-02-27T08:55:00.001-05:002008-11-13T00:21:07.476-05:00I love butterI know it's rather heretical to talk about butter on a weight-loss blog, but hear me out. I'm one of the [probably] few 'dieters' who still eats real, honest-to-goodness butter. I've flirted with margarine over the years, and even took a turn around the dance floor with Smart Balance Buttery Spread.But I always come back to butter, for at least a couple of what I think are very good reasons.FirstDebbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17727115174070254910noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20772508.post-60124072660690195182008-02-26T16:01:00.003-05:002008-11-13T00:21:08.036-05:00After all, tomorrow is another dayWoke up with a slightly elevated temperature, which was back down to semi-normal by noon, when the power went out. Three hours later the sun popped out for a second, long enough for me to post this, and then the heavens parted. Celestial choirs didn't sing, but the rains came, heavily. I look for the power to go back out again any minute.As today's title suggests, I'm channeling that scrappy Debbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17727115174070254910noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20772508.post-26335964696929398422008-02-25T07:33:00.000-05:002008-11-13T00:21:08.488-05:00Monday mishmashRemember last week when we were talking about habits and excellence and housework and meal plans? [Thanks for your comments – nice to know I wasn't the only one who grew up having meat loaf on Wednesday and fried chicken every Sunday.] My Google home page has a sense of humor; this was yesterday's Quote of the Day: •••••••••••• Another year of Oscars has come and gone; this is the first year in aDebbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17727115174070254910noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20772508.post-66143557728947280632008-02-22T14:46:00.001-05:002008-11-13T00:21:08.629-05:00Friday Quote Day"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit." ~ Aristotle And so is, ummm, non-excellence? That would be failure, wouldn't it? Heh.When you think about it – and why would you think about it, anyway? – our daily lives are just one habit after another followed by another. The morning ablutions, the grab-and-go breakfast, the route you take to work, when you eat Debbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17727115174070254910noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20772508.post-8957460274679706692008-02-21T14:05:00.000-05:002008-02-21T14:04:56.264-05:00B-b-brrrrrr!It's gotten all the way up to 30°, after an overnight low in the mid-teens. My fingers are freezing as I type.I finally got an e-mail back from the CMM people; their fees are non-refundable and non-transferable. I thought that meant I couldn't transfer my registration to another person, which it does, but it also means I can't transfer it to another Elite racing event. I don't think I have Debbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17727115174070254910noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20772508.post-43615422451752524152008-02-20T07:49:00.000-05:002008-02-20T07:49:00.039-05:00You may have noticed …a decided lack of weight-loss/running content here in the Middle of Nowhere lately. I think I've mentioned that I'm only going to report weight changes the first of each month. Or as close to the first as I can. I wasn't here the first of February, won't be here the first of March and might not be here the first of April. I love Mr. Shrinking Knitter's retirement!As for running content, the last Debbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17727115174070254910noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20772508.post-64850346470518779232008-02-19T07:48:00.000-05:002008-02-19T07:47:43.076-05:00Kidding!Despite how I sounded yesterday, I don't envy the mother-to-be having to live on a couch for the next 10 to 12 weeks. I feel like I should apologize for my remarks; if I sounded insensitive, I truly didn't mean it.No run or walk or anything physical yesterday. [Well, I did unload the dishwasher and managed two loads of laundry.] I was pretty wiped out, and ended up napping – yes, napping! – and Debbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17727115174070254910noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20772508.post-83363369609915955772008-02-18T08:15:00.000-05:002008-02-18T08:14:37.072-05:00Happy President's Day!How completely unoriginal is that title? Heh.Our little getaway was terrific. We visited Mr. Shrinking Knitter's son and daughter-in-law, who are expecting triplets this spring. Late this spring, we hope. The later the better. Mama-to-be looks so good and so healthy. She has a great attitude about having to, basically, live on a couch for the next three months. [She's on bedrest for the duration.Debbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17727115174070254910noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20772508.post-30767025128105116582008-02-15T07:20:00.001-05:002008-11-13T00:21:09.122-05:00Friday Quote DayThis cracks me up. In much the same way that Crash Davis cracks me up when he asks Annie Savoy, "How come in former lifetimes, everybody is somebody famous?" [Has it really been 20 years since that movie was released?]I collect quotes in a file on my computer, but they're all quotes from quote lists or quote sites. I have several books of quotations, but I rarely peruse them looking for Friday Debbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17727115174070254910noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20772508.post-90759247009628832472008-02-14T08:18:00.002-05:002008-11-13T00:21:09.275-05:00Thin? Rich? I'm working on health.What an interesting concept.This post's title is my six-word memoir for today. Subject to change, of course. Who knows what it will be tomorrow? I'm going to look for this book this weekend; Mr. Shrinking Knitter and I will be out of town yet again, and I'm sure there will be time for at least one bookstore stop.Since it's Valentine's Day, and most of us here are trying to reduce our waist sizes Debbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17727115174070254910noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20772508.post-7974676047746419242008-02-13T18:42:00.000-05:002008-02-13T18:41:36.027-05:00This is sooo not Cambell's soupLooking for a warm, filling and healthy soup for a cold winter's night? Try this, which was inspired by a recipe in the February, 2008, issue of Real Simple magazine. Mmm, mmm, good!Chickpea and Sausage Stew1 tablespoon olive oil1 large onion, chopped2 cloves garlic, minced3 stalks celery, sliced2 carrots, sliced5 links chicken-asiago sausage [or any flavorful sausage], sliced2 cups chicken Debbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17727115174070254910noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20772508.post-37918212863492734812008-02-12T09:39:00.000-05:002008-11-13T00:21:09.398-05:00If a tree falls …Mr. Shrinking Knitter and I noticed the wind whipping up Saturday night, and it continued to blow hard all day Sunday. We went to church, then out to dinner, then came home and holed up the rest of the day.Imagine our surprise when we ventured out yesterday and found this down our road on the piece of property where our pond is:That tree is at least 30 feet tall, and has been there 30 years. It Debbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17727115174070254910noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20772508.post-31369287880264198352008-02-11T14:28:00.000-05:002008-02-11T14:28:23.241-05:00Still digging …Not much going on around the Middle of Nowhere. Still working on reducing the office clutter. Perhaps I should work on reducing hobbies, as well. Stuff for hobbies takes up lots o' space. How many years do I have left, really, to make polymer clay buttons? And I keep adding new hobbies – at least with photography it's all digital and the only space I'm taking up is on my hard drive.I ran not at Debbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17727115174070254910noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20772508.post-53418487419406865832008-02-09T18:55:00.000-05:002008-11-13T00:21:09.821-05:00Progress photosIt simply amazes me how busy I am now that this trip is over. Anyway, I finally got around to taking February's progress picture and then making the January-to-February comparison photo. Ta da!Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know … le même vieux, mêmes vieux [I'm typing that with a French accent.]Mr. Shrinking Knitter says my face looks thinner, but I think he's just trying to be nice to me. Now that he's Debbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17727115174070254910noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20772508.post-24776616760659363472008-02-08T10:54:00.000-05:002008-02-08T10:56:08.593-05:00Friday Quote Day"What does not kill memakes me stronger."~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe We've probably all heard or seen [or said] this quote – or a variation thereof – at some point in our lives. Jimmy Buffett used a variation of it effectively in "Breathe In, Breathe Out, Move On."This week of travel, organizing, purging, and moving stuff feels like it's about to kill me, but I keep telling myself it'll all be Debbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17727115174070254910noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20772508.post-64535180354329335122008-02-07T14:00:00.000-05:002008-02-07T14:00:09.307-05:00Moving Day, Part DeuxI've spent some of this dreary day moving the computer equipment yet again. Thus, no early-morning post. Not posting first thing today is a prelude to switching to evening posting. I think.My computer system includes a tower, a large CRT monitor, a keyboard, two printers, a scanner and a variety of other smaller peripherals plugged into a couple of surge protector strips. And a hub, since the Debbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17727115174070254910noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20772508.post-39169841050562006712008-02-06T07:35:00.000-05:002008-02-06T07:34:55.589-05:00Good to be backSort of.As we traveled north, what I missed seeing was color. Florida is one colorful place, from the moment you cross the border and receive your free sample of orange juice, to the blue-blue sky, to the blood-red sunsets, to the riot of tropical colors in the architecture.West Virginia? Not so much.Really, it is good to be home again. The dogs were beside themselves when we fetched them from Debbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17727115174070254910noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20772508.post-14583482956152254402008-01-29T06:53:00.000-05:002008-01-29T06:56:21.007-05:00Surprise!Well, it's not all that cold out this morning, so I made a pot of coffee, dumped it in a carafe and ventured over here to the garage/office in the dark. Because there's really not much to do in the house at 6:30 a.m.I still have to install a keyboard tray, because the surface we put the computer on is too high for comfort. The tray has been purchased and put together. I'm at a stopping point for Debbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17727115174070254910noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20772508.post-74544359210617418612008-01-28T07:43:00.000-05:002008-01-28T07:41:27.422-05:00Moving dayMr. Shrinking Knitter and I have determined that today's the day to move the computer to the second-floor office of the garage.I need a moment. To sob.I spend a couple of early-morning hours in front of this screen, writing and reading and surfing, almost every day. I'm not sure how easily or often that's going to happen when I have to creep out in that cold and dark hour before sunrise to log onDebbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17727115174070254910noreply@blogger.com4